Demon Like Me
by avorialair
Summary: When Phoebe's past comes back to haunt her, not even the remaining Charmed Ones can bring her back from the brink of evil. Destiny, faith, hope and their lives rest in the courage of one man. One man they would rather forget... Chapter 15 is up!
1. Dances with Demons

**A/N:**_ This is my first try at a fanfic, as I have only recently signed up. Many thanks to **Gilluin** for offering me tips, and for letting me know when my chapters needed work. I do not own any of the classic 'Charmed' characters (duh), although I did add a few during this story. _Demon Like Me _is set somewhere in the late part of Series Seven of the show, because that's where it seemed to fit best. It's sort of an AU after Seven Year Witch. But then again, aren't all fanfics sort of AUs? I like constructive criticism, both good and bad, so if you have something to say, please do not hesistate to let me know. There is some swearing in the story, but no more than the actual series; if you can watch the show, you'll be able to read this. Now, on with the story :)_

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Chapter I - Dances with Demons  


Another night's moon began to rise up outside the window of Number 1329, Prescott Street. Outside, the wind howled like a wolf on the hunt, having picked up a scent of its prey. Trees clawed at the thin window, as if trying to scratch their way through the glass. As the eerie blue-white light spilled down the house and lawn, an uncomfortable figure lay tossing and turning in the bedroom. Her eyes were squeezed tight, as if she were trying to deal with some unbearable pain. She turned onto her side, the images in her brain not ceasing to leave her. She watched through closed eyes the confused shapes and pictures of a night that she only wished she could forget. She could see the pictures. She could hear the sounds. She could feel the fear. All over again. As the dark images merged and blurred together into a painful array of soul-shattering colours, the terrified conscious of Phoebe Halliwell sprang into action. She sat up; awake, though dazed at her surroundings. As her eyes focused on the dark shapes of her bedrooms, Phoebe began to laugh hysterically to herself. It was the fifth time that week.

"Not again," she breathed into the darkness, trying not to cry. "Not again."

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Piper jumped at the movement of someone else in the kitchen this early in the morning. She turned to see Phoebe standing in the doorway, her dressing gown draped loosely over her shoulders. Hey eyes bore the look of somebody who hadn't seen a peaceful night's sleep in months. 

"Hey sweetie," Piper cooed, smiling. "What are you doing up this early?" Phoebe avoided her sister's gaze, and merely slumped at the table. She sprawled out across it, and laid her head on her arms.

"Rough night?" Piper continued, stirring her steaming mug of tea.

"Mhmm," Phoebe replied, not looking up. Piper wandered over and stroked her sister's hair absently. She knew there was something Phoebe wasn't telling them. She knew there was something that Phoebe wasn't dealing with. And she knew that Phoebe wouldn't tell them until she was ready.

"You can go back to sleep if you want. It's only six am."

At this Phoebe looked up into the dark eyes of her older sister. A flicker of jealousy passed through her eyes, but she composed herself before she said something she would regret. Instead, she smiled, shook her head, and moved out of Piper's reach.

"I'm ok," was all she said. Piper frowned, but didn't move. She sipped at her tea, enjoying the soothing liquid washing against her throat. She loved Phoebe dearly, and nothing could change that; but sometimes, she just wished that she weren't so stubborn. She wished that she had the power to reads minds. But then again, a memory of a spell with Prue some years before quickly reminded her that hearing other people's thoughts was not always a good thing. At the memory of Prue, she smiled.

"What's up?" Phoebe asked, interpreting the look as some sort of dig to her mood.

"Oh nothing," Piper mused, hiding her smile. "I was just thinking about Prue."

"You can't live in the past, Piper," Phoebe almost snapped. Piper frowned into her mug.

"I know. You don't have to get all ratty about it."

Phoebe rolled her eyes and looked to the ceiling. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, meaning it. But she wasn't only talking to Piper.

"Phoebes," Piper said suddenly, interrupting Phoebe's wandering mind.

"Yeah...?" Phoebe replied distantly. Piper put down her tea, and then put her arm around her sister. She looked at her face, but couldn't quite read the expression on it.

"You don't have to fight alone. You know that, right?"

Phoebe looked to the floor and smiled.

"Yeah. I do."

"And you know that if you need to talk... You always have me. Or Paige."

"I know. That's half the problem."

Piper took her arm away from her sister's shoulder.

"What do you mean?" she asked indignantly.

"Well, you guys. I love you, but... you're always here. I barely get any privacy anymore."

"Are you saying you want to move out?" Piper questioned, unable to hide the accusation in her voice.

"No, no, of course not," Phoebe reasoned. "I'm just saying that some things need to be mine, okay? My problems and my solutions."

Piper picked up her mug of tea from the counter. Hurt at her sister's comments, she turned to leave the kitchen. Without looking back, she said, "There's hot water in the kettle. Maybe you should make tea."

And then she was gone.

Phoebe, alone once more, collapsed into a chair by the counter. She laid her head in her hands and groaned into the morning. Rays of light were shining through the window now, and the sun had long been awake. They were mocking rays of sunlight, of hope, and they dazzled her dreary early-morning vision. She didn't need them. She didn't want them. But, she thought, without sunlight, there was only dark. Was there no happy medium? Was there nowhere she could escape from the watching eyes? Was there nowhere she could be happy? She already knew, of course, that the answer was no. It was always no. And it always would be.

Phoebe sat, guiltily, thinking about what Piper had said. She had meant well, she always did. But being reminded that her sisters, not to mention witchcraft, were always around was the last thing she had needed to hear. What she needed was a guide. Memories of spirit guides and vision quests popped into her mind, but she shook them away.

"No," she said aloud. "No more magic."

"No more magic?" asked a quirky Paige. Phoebe jumped and let out a gasp. She turned around, anger written all over her face. But at the sight of her calm and collected baby sister, the anger ebbed away. She smiled, but could not take the annoyance out of her voice.

"Paige, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"Hey, it's not my fault you're not a morning person," she replied, opening the fridge and raiding through it. Phoebe raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but neither are you."

Paige closed the fridge door and looked up, a sparkle in her mischievous eyes.

"A girl can change, can't she?" she asked innocently. She fetched a glass from the cupboard and poured out some milk. "What's this about no more magic, anyway? I thought you loved being a witch."

"Not recently..." Phoebe replied, more to herself than in answer. Paige, thankfully, didn't seem to hear. She sipped at her milk thoughtfully. Phoebe sighed, trying to work up the courage to ask a question she had been meaning to ask for a long time.

"Paige..." she began slowly, closing her eyes. She felt like holding her breath, as divers do before their first jump. But before she had time to finish her question, an almighty crash echoed down the stairs. Phoebe met Paige's worried eyes, but they hardly had time to make it to the door before they heard Piper's shrill cry call down the stairs.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" she yelled, anger and frustration straining through her voice.

"Good thing I didn't go back to bed," Phoebe mused momentarily to herself before following Paige out of the kitchen and up the stairs. They were met by a very dishevelled looking Piper, whose obvious rage was burning in her eyes so much that Phoebe swore she saw sparks fly out of them. Piper's right shoulder now sported a ripped dressing gown and raw graze.

"What happened?" Paige demanded, looking around the hall and failing to see Piper's cut.

"Honey, are you okay?" Phoebe asked, heading towards the cut like a mother to a child.

"No, I am not o_kay_," Piper snapped, batting away Phoebe's hand with her good arm. "I can't even have a freakin' Sunday morning without any interruptions! What sort of demon attacks in the early hours of daylight anyway?"

"Calm down Piper – "

"Oh, _you_ calm down!" she shouted. She looked at the carpet, frowned, and then yelled, "If any _more_ of you scumbags want to ruin my day, go ahead! Now's your chance!"

She was almost surprised when nothing happened.

Paige patted Piper's arm consolingly.

"What did the demon look like?"

Piper thought for a minute, trying to reach into the part of her memory that always faded away when she was put on the spot.

"Kind of big and ugly looking," she said eventually. "And he had a really wrinkled forehead; as if someone had stretched it out too much, then tried to put it back together really badly."

Phoebe tried to hide a smile, but it showed in her voice.

"I'll go check the book, then," she said, starting towards the attic.

"No need," Piper interrupted.

"Why?"

"Because now, he looks like that."

She pointed to a smouldering pile of ash on the carpet. Paige giggled, and even Phoebe couldn't help cracking a smile. But when the laughter was over, she looked back to Piper's cut, not even trying to hide her worry.

"That looks nasty. Maybe you should get Leo to look at it?"

Piper shook her head and motioned towards the ceiling.

"He's taken the boys up there to spend some time with them. I don't want to interrupt him if I don't have to."

"If you're sure..." Paige said, sounding worried.

"It's fine! Besides, if it does turn into something life threatening, I'll almost die and then you guys will figure out a way to save me; that's what we do!"

Phoebe knew that she was joking. But a pang of concern stung her heart, and as Piper disappeared into the bathroom, she vowed that she would keep an eye on her during the day. There was enough grieving going on in her mind without having the death of another sister. She returned to her own room. She leant against the hard, wooden door and let out a long, loud sigh. Last night, she promised herself, would be the last night of broken sleep; she would get the bottom of it, even if it meant confronting something she had been hiding for years.


	2. Old Friends

Chapter II - Old Friends

Paige picked up her handbag and headed towards the front door. With her hand on the handle, she took a sharp, short breath to prepare her for the outside world.

"Where are you going, missy?"

Paige rolled her eyes and turned around. Piper stood, her arms folded and a judgemental expression on her face.

"I have work to do," she replied, glancing towards the floor.

"Paige, it's a Sunday," Piper said slowly, walking forwards and unfolding her arms. "You don't work on a Sunday."

Paige grimaced.

"They switched my times?" she pleaded, knowing that Piper wouldn't buy it. In response, Piper merely raised her eyebrows. "Okay, okay," Paige gave in. "I'm doing some... extra work for Darryl."

"And that's it?" Piper questioned, not at all believing that Paige was telling her everything that was going on.

"Yeah!" Paige said, turning back to the door. "And if you'll excuse me, I'm already late. I'll call you if I need you."

She opened the door and walked out into the fresh afternoon sunlight, leaving Piper in the hallway to seethe on her own. But she was not alone for long, as an energetic Phoebe quickly bounded down the stairs in little more than baggy trousers and a large sweater.

"What's up?" she asked, coming to a halt just behind her sister.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Piper replied, folding her arms once more. "Just our little sister gallivanting off to God knows where with God knows whom."

"And you let her?"

"Well, she can orb if she needs us. And she said she was doing some 'extra work' for Darryl; what reason do I have not to trust her?"

Phoebe was lucky enough to miss the ironic sneer in her sister's voice. Piper turned around, but was a little taken aback when she saw Phoebe standing there in clothes that looked better on a punch bag.

"Phoebes, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," Phoebe answered, making her way into the sitting room. "Why, does it look like there's something the matter?"

"Quite frankly, yes. I already have one sister who won't let me know what she's up to. Don't make it two."

Phoebe sat and gazed into the fireplace. She did want to tell Piper. She wanted to tell her everything. But where could she start? That for the past two weeks, she had been having recurring nightmares about something that had haunted her for too long already? That she wasn't sure if what she was dreaming was a premonition or not? That almost every night, she woke up in a cold sweat with the same name whizzing around her head? No, it was too much. She could barely accept it herself. She wasn't ready to let other people in yet.

"Phoebes," Piper said again.

Phoebe looked up into the smiling, trusting eyes of her older sister. She wanted those eyes, so full of knowledge and wisdom, yet surprisingly free.

"There _is_ something I'm not telling you guys," Phoebe replied, her heart beating a little faster. Piper shook some hair out of her eyes, but said nothing. "But it's not because I don't want to, or that I don't trust to. I'm just... not ready yet."

Sympathy rolled into Piper's eyes, and she cocked her head to one side. She tried to pretend, as always, that her heart wasn't breaking to see her sister in so much pain. Phoebe did not need that. She slowed her breathing, smiled, and then said the only thing she could say.

"I'll always be here."

The two hugged, like everything they had ever felt and loved was trying to be expressed between them. Piper had her guesses as to what was going on, and what Phoebe had to deal with: Drake had died not three weeks before, and though Phoebe had both expected and accepted this, there was something significant about the way he had lived and died. And it was something that had been annoying Piper for some time now.

They broke away from each other, Phoebe in time to stop herself from crying. _Why?_ she asked herself. _Why am I so emotional?_ Her sisters couldn't help her, she knew that. But maybe there was someone who could...

"I'm going up to the attic," she said, masking her sadness with thoughtfulness. "I need to be alone."

Piper didn't complain when Phoebe got up from the couch.

The old, wooden stairs creaked under Phoebe's bare feet. She had tried to talk to both Piper and Paige now, with failed attempts. There was nothing more they could do for her. As she turned the cold handle of the uninviting attic door, Phoebe suddenly felt a thrill of excitement. She had thought, for a while, about making contact. Could it be possible? Was it breaking yet another unwritten rule from the Elders? But at this point, Phoebe was beyond caring. Hell, after all 'The Charmed Ones' had done for them, they owed her, right?

"I hope so," she said quietly.

Slowly and methodically, she fetched five candles and a long splint from the store cupboard. Carefully, with a touch of nervous tension, she set each candle up at the right point on the pentagram. She bent down and lit each candle, in turn, very slowly. Then, she straightened up, and with the beginnings of tears in her eyes made a wish in her heart before she read her spell.

"Prue," she said into the warm, musty air of the attic. "I call for Prue."

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Paige walked brightly into the police station. She grinned, as she looked around the station, busy though it was. The Police department never slept, did they? Well, crime didn't either. 

She had felt guilty for lying to Piper about what she was doing, but somehow mentioning that she was volunteering at the police station did not seem like the best of ideas; especially at this sort of time. Besides, she _was_ at the police station, where Darryl would have likely have been had he not been away on holiday. But even if he wasn't, Paige got the impression that he would be less than happy to see her, a 'Charmed One'.

The bright sunshine shone in on San Francisco Police Station. It twinkled and danced across the office like a young child at a school play. Paige, somewhat pleased with herself, half skipped over to an empty desk in the corner. A police officer looked up from the paperwork he was carrying, and gave her a quick smile.

"Morning Matthews. Nice to see you on time for once."

Paige screwed her face up in mock annoyance, but sat at her desk to look through some notes. For the moment, she was only covering for a secretary. _A secretary_, she thought. _I could get better employment at the local grocery store_. Still, not one to sniff at a chance when it was handed to her, she sighed and picked up a sheet of paper. Turning red in the face, she screwed up the page and threw it in the bin beside her desk; she doubted very much if the officers at the station wanted to see a doodle of what she really thought of them. Before she had a chance to get down to some real work, the officer who had greeted her before approached her desk.

"Any messages for me, Matthews?" he queried, not looking up from his file.

"You can call me Paige, y'know."

He looked up, and smiled, but the smile failed to reach his eyes.

"I know. Now, my messages, if you will?"

Paige gave a small sigh, rolled her eyes, and then glanced over the desk.

"Not from what I can see, no."

The officer frowned, and scribbled something in his file.

"Something the matter?" Paige asked, her inquisitiveness getting the better of her.

"What?" he asked distantly, his mind not entirely on the situation. "Oh, no. I just suppose I'm not as popular as I thought I was. See you later."

He turned to walk into his own office. Despite herself, Paige leaned over slightly to catch a glimpse at his backside. She giggled to herself, and collapsed back into the chair.

"Very nice, Officer Wattson. Very nice indeed."

She played with her curls of her deep, black hair. The office, though busy, was surprisingly quiet. At the Manor, there had also been suspicious lack of demon action – this morning excluded. What was going on? Had crime suddenly come to a standstill? Or perhaps the sisters were just noticing less and less. Certainly Phoebe seemed to be a lot more distant and isolated. Paige, for a moment, wished she had the power of premonition, just so she could see what Phoebe was going through. But it was only for a second, as she had long learned that wishing for powers you did not have did not always end up well.

"Paige, put those away and get back to work!"

Paige, absentmindedly, had put her legs up on the desk and crossed her ankles. She had been wearing a rather short, denim miniskirt, and now she sat back at her desk properly, her face flushing redder than a tomato in heat.

"It's not my fault my mind wanders," she mumbled under her breath. She self-consciously tugged at the skirt to pull it further down her legs, and wished desperately that she had worn something different. Luckily, to save her from much more embarrassment, the telephone on the desk rang. She let it ring a few times, before extending her arm and picking up the sleek, black receiver.

"Hello, Paige Matthews," she said sweetly. "How can I help you?"

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Piper paced two and fro in the front hall. 

"Paige, you get you _ass_ back here right now!"

At the other end of the line, Paige cringed.

"How did you get this number?"

"What?" Piper shrieked, nearly throwing the telephone out of her hands in the process. "It doesn't matter! I need you back here, it's a family emergency!"

Paige rolled her eyes, and was thankful that Piper couldn't see it.

"Can't you handle it on your own?" she whined. "I'm swamped down here."

"I don't care if you're up to your knees in alligators, there is something seriously wrong going on around here!"

"Why not just call Leo?"

"I tried that," Piper replied, more worry in her voice than she meant. He was only supposed to be gone for a couple of hours, and it was already drawing in one o 'clock. She had barely trusted the Elders when they requested his presence, so she had made him take the boys up with him; he'd have to have a reason to come back, then. Wouldn't he? The Elders wouldn't dare try taking him away again, not after he had fallen from Grace...

"Piper!"

She jumped at the mention of her name in such a severe tone. Paige had been talking, and had obviously realised that Piper wasn't listening to her.

"Sorry Paige..." she said, putting her hand to her forehead in despair. "I was just thinking about Leo."

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing. I was just expecting him to be back by now."

"You mean the Elders still have him? And you trust them, after what happened last time?"

"Yes – No – I... Paige, just get back here. I need your help. Phoebe's locked herself in the attic, and – "

"Phoebe's _what_?"

_I don't have time for this_, Piper thought, aggravation showing in her voice. _I wish I knew what to do_.

"Paige!" she shouted, eventually. Paige, at the office, jumped at the yell, and straightened herself in her chair. She turned to face the window behind her as she tried to calm the likes of her enraged sister.

"Okay Piper. I'll... I'll get back as soon as I can."

"Make it very soon. I can't get into the attic, and I need you to orb. There was a crash in there earlier."

Paige shook her head, annoyed at yet another circumstance that stopped her from leading a normal life. She was so entranced in the conversation that she barely noticed the movement behind her desk.

"Excuse me? I'd like to report a robbery..."

Paige, frustrated, shook slightly around in the seat. "I'll be with you in a minute," she said quietly, not looking up too closely at the figure at her desk. "No, Piper, not you." There was a pause. "No, I _will_ be there in a minute, I just wasn't talking to you."

"Miss?" the stranger asked again.

At this, Paige lost her temper. She bolted around in the chair. "I'm sorry, you're just going to have to..."

She trailed off when she caught sight of who was at the desk.

"Er... gotta go," she said into the receiver. Without even listening to Piper's cries of rage, she carefully put the telephone back into its position.

"Glad to get your attention," the figure said brightly, as if pleased to have interrupted the young secretary's telephone call. Paige's eyes widened, and fear flickered through them like an old film grain.

"Not you..." she said quietly, gulping and shying back into the chair. "Not again."


	3. Angel Reborn

Chapter III - Angel Reborn

Piper let out a cry of frustration at the insolence of her sister. As she slammed the telephone back down onto the table in the hallway, she heard another enormous crash from the attic and something that sounded horrifically like the sound of smashing glass.

"Oh give me a break, here!" Piper cried as she stormed up the stairs. She came to a halt outside the attic door and fought against it.

"Phoebe!" she yelled through the thing sheet of wood, rattling at the door with all her strength. "Open this door, _right_ now!"

What had they called her? Strongest witch in all the land? _And I can't even open a frigging door! _She hammered against the wood one last time with her shoulder. Instantly, a searing arrow of pain shot through her arm, and for a moment, she retreated from the door to nurse her fresh wound of earlier that morning.

"Okay," she said aloud after she had recomposed herself. "Now I'm pissed off."

She fired her hands up and concentrated all her strength onto the oaken door. The door not only flew off its rusty hinges, but shattered into thousands of sharp shards, as if she had just smashed a mirror.

"Thank you," Piper said sweetly, stepping over the threshold. She looked around aghast at her once tidy attic, which was now covered in broken furniture, overturned chairs, strips of paper and one shattered mirror. The wreckage from the door didn't help either. Piper's eyes came to halt on Phoebe. Her poor, beaten looking sister stood alone, her hair tousled and her clothes ripped. A frown wrinkled across Piper's brow, and when she saw that her sister was not hurt, she put her hands on her hips and shook her head in disbelief. She truly was born a mother.

"What the hell happened in here?" she asked, already tallying up in her head the amount of money it would take to fix this mess.

Phoebe coughed, and said in a very strained and broken voice, "My spell backfired."

Piper rushed forward in time to catch her sister as she fell to the floor in a fit of raw despair. Tears streamed down her bruised cheeks, and though she desperately did not want to show just how badly she was coping, now that she had started crying she could not stop. A gaping hole in Phoebe's heart as showing its true colours, and it was all she could do to try and fill it back up with tears.

Piper cradled the sobbing shell of her sister in her arms, rocking her back and forth soothingly.

"Shhhh," she said calmly in her ear, and clung to Phoebe more tightly than a limpet to a rock. When Phoebe had regained enough of herself to change the loud, broken sobbing into the occasional choked cry, Piper spoke.

"What happened?" she asked calmly, stroking back a loose strand of Phoebe's hair.

Phoebe sniffed, and climbed unsteadily to her feet.

"I don't know. One minute I was standing here trying to call for a ghost, and the next, I…"

She trailed off, leaving Piper to only guess what had happened.

"Whose ghost?" she asked curiously, glancing around at the havoc. Phoebe didn't answer, but followed Piper's gaze around the attic.

"Whose ghost?" Piper repeated when Phoebe didn't answer, but with a harsher, sterner tone in her voice. Her eyes darted back to her sister. Phoebe looked up to meet Piper's eye, but before she had time to reply, the attic was filled with amazingly blue-white lights.

"Paige?" Piper asked the mass of orbs.

"No, I'm afraid not," came a male reply. Piper walked to Phoebe's side as the form of an Elder appeared before them. He was younger than most, but his face was etched with the beginnings of wise wrinkles. His eyebrows and beard sported flecks of white, but the eyes he looked at the two Charmed Ones with were as young and fresh as a baby's first laugh.

"But I believe I can answer your question," he said, his smooth voice calming Phoebe down, despite herself. Piper put a defensive arm around her sister's waist.

"I have no questions for you," she said coldly.

The Elder simply looked from one sister to the other. His eyes rested on Piper, who immediately looked away.

"What do you want?" she said through gritted teeth.

The Elder frowned.

"It was Prue."

"_What_ was Prue?" Piper accused, as if the couldn't believe the Elder had dared to say her name.

"The ghost."

Silence spread over the attic like the eerie calm and stillness that occurs before a hurricane.

"What?" she hissed. "You made contact with Prue?" Her eyes swung to Phoebe, who gulped but stood her ground.

"No," Phoebe replied softly. "It didn't work. I wasn't really expecting it to, especially after what happened last – "

"Oh, but you thought you'd _try_ nonetheless!"

"Piper, I – "

"Look, Phoebe," Piper exclaimed, letting go of her. A strange, possessive anger was boiling inside her, and she was finding it difficult to keep control. "Can we talk about this later? I might blow something up if you keep me on this track!"

"Charming," snorted the Elder. "And you wondered why we didn't want you and Leo together."

"Leave Leo out of this!" Piper exclaimed bitterly, rounding on the Elder. "I thought he made it quite clear to you last time _exactly_ how he feels about you. Now if you don't mind, while we're on the subject, I'd like you to send me my husband back; unless you want me to blow up that oversized robe of yours."

The Elder cleared his throat and arched an eyebrow, obviously disgruntled with Piper's distaste.

"Very well," he said, after a brief pause of looking at the sisters. "And then maybe I can get onto the reason why I am actually here."

He shook his head in a disappointed manner.

"It's all right Leo. Feel free to orb back now."

"What? Orb? Leo can't – "

Piper was interrupted by a mass of lights collecting together in the form of her husband. She looked at him, shock spreading from her wide eyes to open mouth.

"Hi Piper," he said hesitantly, not quite sure what reaction to expect from her. She opened and clothed her mouth a few times, not hiding the scowl that creased her forehead.

"We'll talk later," she snapped eventually, then sighed loudly through her nose. The Elder coughed loudly, and all heads swung to him.

"Yes, well, aside from the hiccups you've suffered today, I did actually pay you a visit for a reason," he said with a sneer. Piper's mouth pinched into a thin line.

"What do you want?" she said bitterly, an accusing, hard edge to her voice. It was already a difficult day, and this high-and-mighty Elder wasn't exactly helping.

"I want to help you."

"Of course, because that's what you're _so_ good at."

"Piper..." Leo protested.

She shot her husband a dark look, then returned her gaze to the Elder.

"Look, tell us what you want and then leave us alone."

"There's been a rift in the balance of our magic. We don't know how, and we don't know why. We don't even know whom. But we do know that you are in danger, all of you. Leo too. Unless we can work together to work out what's been going on, you are all at risk of suffering the consequences. Something's changed that was not supposed to change, and destinies have changed because of it. The Grand Design is in jeopardy."

"So... let me get this straight?" Piper said slowly, walking over to the Elder and squaring up to him. "Someone you don't know has done something you can't trace and it's affecting something you don't even know about, and _we're_ the first people you come to?"

"We're not looking for your help, Piper."

"Good. 'Cause I wasn't offering it."

At this point, Phoebe stepped forward. She felt guilty for what she had done without Piper, and she didn't want her to feel like she had to face the world alone.

"Piper's right. You guys lost the right to ask for our help a long time ago."

"Wha..? Phoebe!" Leo interjected. He was shocked at the sister, who was usually reasonably polite. "This is important."

"Leo, if it were so important, they would have told us by now. You of all people should be agreeing with me." Her head swung to the Elder. "You can tell the rest of Them that we don't want to help them anymore. And we don't want your help, either. We can cope well enough on our own."

The Elder did not seem at all surprised with Phoebe's reply. He even nodded his head in agreement.

"Very well," he said. "Let me know if you change your mind."

A trail of white lights surrounded him, and he melted into the surrounding air. Leo turned to look at Phoebe and frowned.

"What did you do that for?" he asked. Phoebe rolled her eyes, pushed passed her brother in law and made her way out of the attic.

"Hey!" Piper shouted after her, following. "We're not done here yet!"

"Yes, Piper, we are," Phoebe sighed, not looking back. She couldn't cope with another interrogation from her sister. She would wait until Piper had calmed down. And as for Leo, she knew that he and Piper had things to talk about.

Phoebe walked into her bedroom, and shut the door behind her before Piper could follow her in. She leant against the hard would, and almost thanked it for holding up her weight. Fighting through the daily battle of being simply alive was proving more difficult than it seemed to be worth. But her peace was cut short.

"Phoebe!" Piper yelled, hammering on the door behind her for the second time that day. "Phoebe, open up this door!"

There was no worry in her voice now. She was purely angry, and anger was what Phoebe didn't need. She needed to relax. She needed to go into her own little world. And, damn it, she needed Prue.

"Phoebe..." Piper whined from the other side of the door, giving up on brute force and resting her forehead against the wood. "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"

There was no answer.

"Have it your way," Piper sighed. She turned and stormed off down into the living room, shaking her head and cursing under her breath. Leo, who was pacing backwards and forwards, turned and smiled gently to her. She looked up with a face like thunder.

"Don't you give me that," she snapped, pushing past him and heading on into the kitchen. "We're still not done yet, either."

"What do you want me to say?" Leo protested, trying to catch her by the arm and failing. "That I didn't want to become a whitelighter again?"

"It might have been a good start!"

Leo lost his patience. His mouth twitched, and he looked to the floor in frustration.

"Fine," he said, shrugging off the feeling of incompleteness he was so familiar to. "Fine."

He orbed out of the house in an angry array of colours, and Piper laughed after him. Where was his nerve? How could he have given up his mortality just like that? She knew better than to let her anger run away with her, but for the time being, it was all she knew how to do. Phoebe was locked in her bedroom. Leo was angry with her, and dealing with it elsewhere. That just left...

"Paige!" Piper yelled at the ceiling. "I _know_ you can me! Get your ass back here before I have to summon you my_self_!"

Nothing happened.

"Typical," Piper tutted, as she left the kitchen and headed for the attic. "All I need is another demon attack, and my day is complete."

Had she known that Paige was currently dealing with the biggest threat to their Wiccan lives, she may not have been so quick to judge. As it happened, she slammed the attic door shut without giving the door, her sisters or Leo a second thought.


	4. Remember Me

Chapter IV – Remember Me

"Paige!"

Piper's crystal clear voice rang out in her head, but she had to ignore it. There just was not enough time to tell her what was going on, and she couldn't orb away safely.

Paige was pacing the distance of a small, unoccupied office. Officer Wattson had owed her a favour, and she was taking it in the form of half an hour alone with an innocent man.

The man in question was tall – though it was difficult to tell for the minute, as he was sat uncomfortably in a wooden chair – and was owner to a fine pair of broad shoulder. Strong, muscular arms were wrapped around the back of the chair, and at his wrists were a single pair of handcuffs. His eyes were smouldering a dark, angry hazel on his handsome, well engraved face and his short, black hair lay ruffled on his head. He was a strong man, both in character and physical power; but his strength was not enough to protect him from the likes of Paige. Not this time.

She had had him in there for twenty minutes now, and had been firing questions at him left, right and centre. But he was cunning, and relentless, and would not tell her what she wanted to know. But if Paige had learned anything from her sisters, it was that persistence always paid off.

"Look," she said calmly, still pacing but not taking her eyes off the man in her custody. "I am going to ask you one more time. What are you doing here?"

"I already told you. I wanted to report a robbery," her prisoner spat through gritted teeth. His patience was now exhausted and he was beginning to lose his temper. Couldn't the woman see that he had told her everything he knew? What more did she want?

"You've already lied to me enough. Tell me what you're really doing here, and I'll see what I can do about finishing it nice and quickly."

"Finishing what?"

Paige, remember tactics she had seen from other police officers, leant forward onto the desk separating her and her victim.

"You," she hissed.

His eyes flashed dangerously as anger rose in his veins.

"You don't scare me," he said slowly, a sneer in his strong voice. Paige recognised that sneer, and hated him all the more for it.

"No?" Paige queried, glancing to his forehead, then meeting his eyes again. "Then why are you sweating?"

The young man narrowed his cold eyes. Then, the tips of his mouth rose into a malicious smile.

"You can't do anything to me," he said coolly, knowing that it was true. "I've told you everything I know. Now, I don't know what's going on or why the robbery is so important, but – "

"Oh just be quiet!" Paige cut in, beginning to get a little worried. Why hadn't he done anything to defend himself? Why hadn't he left? What on earth was he up to? There were too many questions for her to ask on her own. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed the help of her sisters. But how? It wasn't exactly as if she could just orb in, hostage in tow.

However, something was about to happen that would aid her in her decision. Paige felt a familiar sickness beginning in her stomach, and the dizziness that went with it.

"Oh no..." she said, stumbling over to the man in the chair.

"What are you doing?" he exclaimed as she put a rough and heavy hand on his shoulder.

"If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me," she offered by way of explanation.

_I've always wanted to say that_, Paige thought as she and the man were surrounded by pale, white lights. The surroundings of the dreary office began to blur and merge together, and soon the familiar scene of the girls' attic came into view. There was Piper, standing in she same black shirt and blue jeans Paige had left her in earlier. But the look she wore was darker than an ink stain in the dead of night. Without looking at the man Paige had brought with her, she started to release her temper.

"Where the hell have you been, Paige? Couldn't you hear me - "

She had to trail off. Her eyes had fallen onto the stranger Paige had brought home with her. Her frown sank back into a paralysed look of fear.

"Oh my God," she said, trying to suppress the shaking feeling of anxiety in her stomach. "Cole."

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _

Cole Turner gaped around him. The office, chair and handcuffs had disappeared. Instead, he was in a foreign place with two women he didn't know. But his stomach was apparently still back in the office. He tensed his muscles and tried to shake away the unfamiliar feeling of helplessness that stole his body. 

"What the hell is going on!" he demanded, glancing from one woman to the next.

"How the hell did I get here?"

Piper seemed to have frozen. She couldn't take her eyes off Cole. The tall, slim, well-built man didn't look a thing like he had three weeks ago. The steely glint in his eyes had gone; the malevolent look on his face was nowhere to be seen; and the suave, swaggering posture he held had seemingly evaporated. He may have been solid in front of her eyes, but something in Piper told her that this was not the man who had helped her prove her love to Leo three weeks ago.

"Will someone tell me how I got here?" he shouted, aggravated. All traces of fear seemed to be keeping his stomach company back at the office.

"Paige..." Piper said slowly, edging towards the book but not taking her eyes off of Cole. "Get the crystals."

"Right," Paige replied. She stepped away from Cole over to the store cupboard.

"What?" Cole insisted, anger in his voice. He started making his way over to Paige with courage in his eyes.

"Crystals!" Paige cried, throwing her arm out. Instantly, five crystals encircled themselves around an unsuspecting Cole, creating an impervious energy cage.

"Hey!" Cole exclaimed, stepping forward towards the sisters. He was stopped by a field of bright, white energy, and was thrown backwards into the circle of crystals. Caught off guard, he stumbled slightly.

"What... the hell... is going on?" he spluttered through broken breaths. Piper and Paige exchanged the same worried look. They were both thinking the same thing, and consequently, Piper nodded. She threw her hands up towards Cole and he froze in mid breath. It was quite eerie to see him suspended in such an unnatural position. Then, at last, Piper turned to Paige.

"You are going to tell me everything that's been going on, starting with him," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"I'm not sure he'll stay frozen for that long," Paige replied, a slight flinch passing across her face as she said so. Piper's eyebrow rose into an arc.

"Look, I don't know, okay?" Paige said, wanting to avoid as much of the issue as possible. She then caught sight of the debris of the attic: leftovers from Phoebe's failed spell.

"Woah," she said, looking around and taking in the damage. "What happened?"

Piper clapped her hands together to regain Paige's attention.

"Hi," she said when Paige looked at her. "Cole now, attic later."

Paige frowned and gave an exasperated sigh.

"I don't know where he came from. One minute, I was talking to you on the phone, and the next, poof! I turned around, and there he was; standing over me, all... smug."

"Poof...?" Piper asked carefully. "He... 'poofed'?"

"What? No," Paige said as if Piper had completely lost the plot. "_He_ didn't poof. He was just... there. As if he had."

"Had what?"

"Poofed!"

Piper's confusement showed itself as a frown.

"Paige, you're not making any sense!"

"He was at my desk when he hadn't been before. That's all I know," she lied, as if that would somehow explain the whole situation.

Piper shook her head and walked over to the trusty Book of Shadows. There was definitely something strange going on. Could it be a shapeshifter playing a trick on them? There was just too much that didn't add up. And as much as she hated to admit it, there was probably only one person who would help them.

"Leo!" she called reluctantly.

Like a dog to a whistle, in orbed Leo, complete with Wyatt and baby Chris. Paige took a double take and let her mouth drop a few centimetres.

"Yeah, he orbs now," Piper explained to her surprised look.

"But... how?"

"Long, long story," the eldest sister replied. Then she looked to her husband. "Honey, what do you know about shapeshifters?"

Leo frowned in thought for a moment.

"That depends. There are many different types of shapeshifter, each to their own speciality. Why?"

Piper pointed past him to the frozen figure of Cole. Leo turned top follow her trail. He almost dropped Chris right of his arms when he saw the profile of the man who had been both their largest asset and biggest threat some years previous.

"That isn't – " he began, mostly lost for words.

"It might be," Piper replied dejectedly.

There was silence as the three of them looked in awe at the body in the crystal cage. If it were Cole, Piper though, then life in the cosmic void had done him good. He was definitely in good shape.

"I don't _think_ it's Cole," Paige said at last, walking timidly towards the cage. "He wasn't really acting like himself when I was 'questioning' him."

As soon as she'd said it, Paige wished she hadn't spoken.

"When you were _what_?" Piper cried, appalled. She stepped over to her sister. "Paige, are you insane! You could have been killed!"

"But it isn't Cole!" she said hotly in defence. "He didn't fire energy balls, or shimmer, or anything! He didn't even seem to recognise me. And why would the real Cole just show up in broad daylight waiting to be caught?"

"That's not the point," Piper snapped, looking worriedly back at Cole. "You don't chase demons on your own. Especially not ones in the form of ex family members!"

"I'm not even sure he _is_ a demon," Paige muttered, taking her own place in front of the Book. "There has to be something in here."

Piper thought for a moment, trying to think of the best way to get around this problem. Her biggest concern of the minute was Phoebe. In her current state, the last thing she needed to see now was the shell of the love of her live. But she would have to know at some point, wouldn't she?

"Okay," Piper said eventually, her problem-solving mind kicking into action. She waved her hands around in demonstration as she spoke. "Paige, forget the book for now. There's nothing in there that can help us yet. Go and get some things together ready for a Truth Potion."

"Right," Paige nodded, but was keen to hear the rest of the plan.

"And Leo, take the boys to magic school to keep them safe; I don't want them around when we interrogate this guy. Then get back here as soon as you can to help us out."

Leo accepted what Piper was telling him, but resented the harsh tone in her voice. Was she still angry with him becoming a whitelighter? Would she ever stop treating him like an errand boy and start treating him like her husband? He loved her more dearly, passionately and tenderly than was ever possible to say. But sometimes, her annoying habits were enough to drive him up the wall.

The orders and plans were set, and Paige began to head to the kitchen to fetch the ingredients for the potion. But she didn't get any further than a couple of steps. From just inside the doorway, there came the hard, cold voice of Phoebe.

"You guys," she said, stepping forward into the broken attic air. "Please tell me that that's not Cole in an energy cage."


	5. Absence of the Heart

_**A/N**: I wasn't sure how often to update, and so far I'm just adding new chapters when I have them. But I may be dwindling in the future, as I'm having a lot of work to do. I hope you're all enjoying it _

**_oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOO__oooOOOooo_**

Chapter V - Absence of the Heart  


It was a dream. It _had_ to be a dream. She would wake up, alone and cold, in her dark bedroom, and everything would be all right again. The dreams would stay as dreams, and she wouldn't have to worry about the past anymore. All she had to do was wake up.

"Oh no," Phoebe said, not managing to keep her balance. She slunk down into a settee by the wall, and put her heads in her hands. "Oh no, oh no..." she repeated over and over again. Piper and Paige rushed over to her, whilst Leo, after a confirmed look from Piper, orbed the boys away. Paige sat next to Phoebe, whilst Piper crouched down in front of her. She put her hands on Phoebe's knees.

"It might not be him," she said soothingly, trying to think of ways to explain how this had happened.

"Yeah," Paige said, putting a comforting hand on Phoebe's back. "We think it's a shape shifter, probably sent to us in connection with – "

"No," Phoebe said, interrupting her and taking her head out of her hands. Tears had already formed in her red eyes, and her mascara was smudged. "It's him."

Piper and Paige looked anxiously at each other.

"Are you sure?" coaxed Piper, getting up and sitting on Phoebe's other side. Phoebe stood up out of her sisters' reach and edged towards Cole. She circled him, like a vulture over a kill. The ripping pain in her heart was difficult to bear, and she had to turn away from Cole as she blinked back the tears. It couldn't be him. He couldn't be back – hadn't he done enough damage? Was it not enough that she had to live with the ghost of him in her heart forever?

"I'm sure," she sniffed, looking back over to the settee. "What happened?"

At that moment, Leo orbed back in. He looked worried and frustrated.

"The boys are back in magic school," he said quickly to Piper. He then turned to Phoebe. "We don't know how or why he's back, Phoebe. We don't even think it's him."

"But I promise, we won't let him get away. We'll vanquish him, or quarantine him, or... _something_. I promise, we'll keep him away from you."

"It's all right," Phoebe said in reply to her eldest sister. She didn't want to be afraid anymore. She didn't want to hold on to something she'd rather forget. Their last goodbye had been short, and she hadn't really known if it were final. _I guess not,_ she half laughed to herself.

"Phoebes, we will get through this," Piper said consolingly. "But how do you know it's him?"

Phoebe looked up, her eyes hardening with courage. She could do this.

"I've been having dreams lately," she said distantly, walking over to the Book. "Of Cole. Of all the times we vanquished. I wasn't sure if they were premonitions of the past, or just nightmares. I guess they were warnings."

She leafed through the book absently. She knew that the answer to her problem wasn't in there. Paige looked at the frozen figure in the circle of crystals.

"I guess it's just too much not to be a coincidence, then?" she asked, a deep part of her wishing that Cole _were_ a shapeshifter. Phoebe nodded. Piper, Who had been thinking quietly to herself, turned back to Paige.

"Get the potion ready," she said. "Demon or no demon, this guy's gonna talk. And I'd rather not have to blow him up – yet."

"All right," Paige replied, and this time did not hang around. She was down the stairs in a couple of minutes. Leo, on the other hand, looked rather worried.

"Something wrong?" Piper asked sternly, picking up on it. Leo frowned, and shook his head. After a minute or two of staring at Cole, trying desperately to keep herself together, Phoebe jolted herself back into a state of living.

"You guys, I'm going to go and help Paige," she said, following Paige's suite. "I need to keep myself busy."

Piper didn't object as her sister left the attic. That just left Leo and Cole. She wondered idly how long he could stay frozen under her spell. She should stay and keep an eye on him. Perhaps he would give her opportunity to use some of her well-earned firepower...

"Piper..." Leo said slowly, coming over to her. His face was hard, and concentrated. She knew that he was serious.

"What is it?"

"I'm pretty sure this is what the Elders were talking about. About the balance being shifted, and you guys being in danger."

"What do you mean?" Piper asked, raising an eyebrow. She glanced to Cole. "Are you saying that because of _him_, or lives are in danger, yet again?"

Leo didn't need to give an answer. She already knew what he meant.

"Oh, this is just perfect," she retorted. "You know, I _knew_ he was up to something..."

This time, it was Leo's turn to frown.

"What do you mean?"

Piper cleared her throat, but didn't say anything. How could she? It was not as if she could simply admit to seeing Cole three weeks previously and not telling anybody. She had sworn that she would forget about it, and the fact that Cole was there didn't mean anything. It didn't mean he had a 'plan', or that he would return. He was being punished for everything that he had done to the sisters. But apparently, Piper was wrong.

So, instead, she flinched, and played with her hands.

"I may have sort of... met Cole. A few weeks ago."

"_What_?" Leo cried, his voice beyond shouting.

"Shhhh!" Piper hushed.

"I'm sorry Piper, but... how could you not tell me? When did this happen?"

Reluctantly, Piper told him everything about her visit from Cole when she had been attacked by the thorn demons. She told him how he had helped, and offered advice, and strengthened their love. She also mentioned how much she didn't trust him, and that she hoped she would never have to see that smug grin on his face again. She also, however, admitted to feeling sorry for him, too. He was trapped to watch the love of his life live and grow without him, getting happier and happier. Or so it seemed.

"And now, here he is. Apparently the cosmic void is less of a void and more of a 'get of jail free' card," she finished.

Leo frowned, and began pacing the attic.

"How could he have got out of the void?"

"I don't _know_!" she snapped, fed up of always being expected to have the answer. She didn't give Leo any more chance to argue, as she too began her way out of the attic. Leo tried to follow after her, but without even looking back, Piper commanded, "You stay here. Don't let him out of your sight. I want him to be in one piece when I start blowing things off of him."

Leo hid a smile. His wife may have had a temper, but it sure did help her in times of trouble.

Piper trotted down the stairs. How the members of her family had not yet been killed, she didn't know. There were "almosts" and "nearlys", but everybody still seemed to be all right. Apart from Paige, who was hiding things. And Phoebe who was having trouble coping.

"Just a perfect ready made family," Piper muttered as she stalked into the kitchen. Paige and Phoebe were in front of a smoking black pot, throwing ingredients in left, right and centre. They both looked up when Piper approached.

"Nearly ready?" she queried.

Paige nodded, but frowned.

"I wasn't exactly sure what it meant by 'shimmer hair'," she said, bending over the book she was reading from. "So, I just added head hair..."

"Paige!" Piper said, incredulously.

"Kidding, kidding..." Paige said, hiding a smile. She was so easy to tease. Piper frowned. This was not the time to be messing around.

"It's all right Piper," Phoebe said softly, reading her sister's worried expression. "I think we're nearly ready. Is he still frozen?"

"As far as I know," Piper replied, walking over to the pot. She peered in curiously at the smoking contents, but the smell made her retract. "Phew!" she said, holding her nose; it hadn't seemed so strong on the other side of kitchen. "What is _wrong_ with that?"

Paige smiled.

"I think our mandrake root might be a little... old..." she offered.

"Yeah, just a little!"

Phoebe held something tenderly in her hand. It was the last ingredient. This would be it. For once, she would be able to get the truth out of Cole fair and square, and there was nothing he could do about it. The power this gave her over him was exciting.

"All right, stand back," she directed. The other two did so. Into the pot she threw the final ingredient, and there was a loud pop. Then, all was silent. She turned off the hob, and poured the contents of the saucepan into a bottle. Shaking it around, after she'd put a stopper in it, she turned to her sisters.

"Okay. This is it. Now we'll know."

The other two nodded. As they walked slowly back up to the attic, as if about to face the largest challenge of their lives, it was Phoebe who was thinking about the past. Piper and Paige didn't really believe it was Cole. It couldn't be, because to them, too much didn't add up. But Phoebe knew. Her dreams told her. Her instinct told her. But, most importantly, it was her heart that really gave him away. And now, finally, she could have some closure.

* * *

The three girls and Leo stood awkwardly in front of the frozen figure in the attic. 

"What do you reckon?" Piper asked, circling him slightly. "Should I unfreeze all of him or just the head?"

"Just shove the potion down his throat, and then unfreeze him."

"Paige," Phoebe protested to her sister's bluntness.

"Sorry, sorry," Paige muttered. _I can't help how I feel,_ she thought.

"Here we go..." Piper said, stepping forward bravely. She opened Cole's mouth and thrust the liquid down his throat. Instantly, he unfroze, and started fighting her off. But Piper was too quick, and was beyond the circle of crystals in seconds.

"What the? What did you to me!" Cole cried, fire igniting in his eyes. He stood panting, gasping and spluttering at the people around him. "Where did you come from? How did you – "

Phoebe stepped forward, and looked him straight in the eye. She felt bravery and courage growing from somewhere deep inside her. She could do this.

"No more games, Cole. No more questions. Tell me what I want to know."

Cole, surprisingly, frowned momentarily, and then shrugged.

"Go ahead. I don't seem to have the upper hand anyway."

"Are you sure this wasn't a 'giving in' potion?" Paige whispered Piper, but was quickly hushed.

"What are you doing here?"

Cole coughed, and thought for a moment. These seemed to be women he didn't want to piss off, so he may as well take time to give accurate answers.

"I don't know. I went to the police station to report a robbery, and then _she,_" he pointed to Paige, "Took me into an office and asked me all sorts of questions. Then she brought me here."

"Actually, that was me," Piper piped up.

Cole's eyes flashed, as if here weren't to be interrupted.

"How... how did you come back...?"

Cole looked confused, and he stepped backwards.

"Back?" he questioned. "I don't understand. Back from where?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"Don't give me that, Cole!" she shouted, losing her temper. "At the very least, you could give me the truth! What do you _want_?"

"Want?" Cole cried back, picking up on Phoebe's hot temper. "I don't _want_ anything! All I know is that I see some guy running out of an off-licence with a keg of beer, and the owner running after him. Next thing I know, I'm caught up in a mass of dark looks, difficult questions, and I'm held prisoner in some sort of... I don't know what hell _this_ is. What do you want from me? I've told you everything I know!"

Phoebe's courage began to wane. The familiar, sickening, empty feeling she used to feel when Cole was around begun to return, and something that felt horribly like tears began to creep into her eyes. This couldn't be it... he had to have found a way around the truth potion. Unless she wrong...

"Who _are_ you?"

"I am Cole Turner. Distract Attorney for the San Francisco police."

Phoebe shook her head.

"No..." she said helplessly. "No, you can't be..."

"I've had enough of this!" Interjected Piper, stepping up beside her sister. "Can I start blowing bits off now? This... whoever he is... is beginning to get on my nerves."

She put an arm around Phoebe, who breathed loudly, trying to keep herself together. Paige, never one to be left out, comforted Phoebe from her other side. There the three of them stood, together as one. They had beaten everything life had thrown at them, and come up again and again. A little matter of Cole was unlikely to sway them.

"Piper..." Leo said quietly from behind. The three of them turned to look at him.

"What?" she demanded.

He looked up to the ceiling, as if hearing a jingle from the Elders.

"Now?" she whined. Leo shook his head.

"No. It's not that. But... that _is_ Cole. No tricks. And what's more..." He paused, not knowing how to finish his sentence.

"Well?" Paige demanded, throwing her arm out and pointing to Cole. Leo looked up, and couldn't hide the defeat in his eyes.

"What's more is that somebody's erased his memory."


	6. The Old Me

Chapter VI - The Old Me

"Somebody _what_?" Piper demanded, throwing her arms up. "Who? Why? How?"

Leo shook his head.

"I don't know. All I know is what the Elders told me. This is the very same Cole you vanquished two years ago: same cunning, same guile, same attitude. He just doesn't remember any of it."

"Er... excuse me..." Cole said, leading all eyes to turn back to him. "What exactly is going on?"

"Oh, button it," Piper said, and froze him again. Phoebe, who had been relatively lost in thought up until now, tried to put everything that had happened behind her. If Leo was right, then Cole was hardly a threat to them anymore. Whether or not he was a demon didn't matter, as he couldn't even remember. The first problem to sort out was getting his memory back.

"What exactly do the Elders know?" she asked, although she hated the thoughts of having to rely on them yet again.

"I'll go and see. Make sure he," he nodded towards Cole, "doesn't get away."

He was gone within seconds. Piper frowned, and looked around in dismay at the attic, still in a mess.

"Well, today has certainly been interesting," she said slowly, sighing. "Demon attacks, sisters who don't tell me things, and now an ex brother-in-law. I'm beginning to wonder if my day can get any better."

She stalked out of the attic in a huff. Paige tutted as she watched her go.

"I guess she's just fed up of everything," she mused.

"Yeah, well, I'm not surprised," Phoebe replied, feeling tired and beaten. "Think you could clean up this attic?"

Paige didn't object. She did, after all, have the power to move things with her mind. And it was hardly personal gain. They couldn't work in an untidy space.

As Paige orbed things back to the way they should be, Phoebe walked over to the window. The sunshine of earlier that morning seemed to have dwindled, and the sky was quite overcast. In the street below, cars drove by and pedestrians walked, continuing with their every day lives. They had no idea what was happening in the sisters' attic, and had no idea of what _had_ happened in the past. How many times had the girls saved the world now? Parts of Phoebe wanted it to stop, for the fighting and never ending battle to all be over. But another part, a part she had tried to hide away for so long now, knew that she loved saving the world. She loved things that distracted her from life, and it gave her excuses when she didn't want to deal with things. And Cole was certainly something she didn't want to deal with.

"Ever wonder how the Elders seem to know so much...?" she asked distantly, resting her head against the cool, comforting glass. Paige looked up, after having just orbed the mirror back into its frame.

"What do you mean?" she asked, walking over to her sister. "From my experience, they really don't seem to know very much at all."

Phoebe, despite all the circumstances, laughed.

"No," she giggled. "I mean, how come they seem to pick up on everything? _We're_ the most powerful witches; shouldn't we be the ones sensing when there's a 'shift of magical power'?"

Paige thought for a moment.

"Well, not really..." she offered. "They spend all their lives up there, looking down on the world, and trying to maintain the balance. We have lives, and jobs, and responsibilities. I wouldn't call being a witch part-time, but we don't sit around and wait for stuff to happen, either. We just deal with it when it does. Like this."

She gestured towards Cole.

"I guess you're right," Phoebe replied quietly. Then something struck her. "You know, you're very clever when you want to be, Paige," she said, turning to look at her baby sister. Paige smiled.

"It's a gift," she chuckled.

At that point, Leo crept up behind them. Phoebe jumped, and nearly fell through the glass. Then, for no apparent reason, all three of them started to laugh together. It had been a while, Phoebe thought, and she missed the familiarity of it.

"The Elders have confirmed it," Leo said eventually. "But as they said when they were last here, they don't know who has done it. Whatever it is, it's some pretty powerful magic. It was Cole's destiny to stay in the void, and your destiny, Phoebe, to move on. Now both of those destinies are in jeopardy, and perhaps even more."

"Void?" Phoebe asked, confused. "What void?"

Leo's face fell.

"You mean... Piper didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

At this, Leo frowned, then shook his head. _I don't know what's got into her lately_, he thought. _What is she playing at? _

"Leo, what's going on," Paige demanded. She stepped forward and looked straight into Leo's eyes.

"You remember the other week, when Piper was attacked by the thorn demon? And the Elders took away my powers?"

The sisters nodded.

"Well, apparently, while Piper was dying, she was stuck in some sort of... spiritual plain. A Cosmic Voice between life and death. And Cole was there, Phoebe. He was the one who helped Piper to move on, he was the one who helped our love grow."

Phoebe felt herself become short of breath. There was a tension in her chest, and she leant backwards against the windowsill for support.

"You mean... she saw him?" she asked weakly. Leo nodded.

"Oh that's just insane!" Paige said. "Piper would have told us if she'd seen him."

"No. She didn't want to worry you guys."

"Wo... worry us!" Phoebe cried, standing up from the sill. "What the hell? She didn't want to _worry_ us? Where is she, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!"

"I'm not sure if that is such a good idea..." Leo called out after Phoebe, who had stormed off out of the attic. Paige frowned and shook her head, and ignored Leo's cries of protest as she followed her sisters.

"Piper!" Phoebe shouted down the stairs.

Piper, who had been sitting contentedly sitting in the living room dealing with her feelings, stood up sharply.

"What?"

Phoebe walked the rest of the way down the stairs and walked over to Piper, her eyes ablaze and more feelings lighting in her heart than she knew was possible.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me you saw Cole when you'd been attacked by the thorn demon?"

"Ah," Piper responded, flinching. "I didn't want to upset you. It was probably nothing. He told me he was stuck there forever... and to be fair, if he could have gotten out of there, don't you think he would have done it already?"

"Probably nothing?" Phoebe repeated, beyond anger. "PROBABLY NOTHING? That 'probably nothing' is in our attic, Piper! He is standing up there, with no recollection of who or what we are, and of what he's put me through, and you call it probably nothing? Didn't it occur to you that he could have _lied_?"

Piper frowned defensively. It wasn't _her_ fault, was it? She had only tried to protect her sister.

"Yes, of course it did!" she snapped. "But he didn't seem capable of escaping the void. I saw the love in his eyes when he saw you, and – "

"_Love_?" Phoebe cried incredulously. "That isn't love, Piper. It's gone beyond stalking, and now, because you didn't say anything, he's back to ruin our lives for the – "

"All right!" Paige shouted from the bottom of the stairs. She whistled loudly, leaving both Piper and Phoebe to look towards her. "This isn't helping. We can have time to fight afterwards. But right now, there is a man up there who can give us all the answers we need."

Piper's frown reached her mouth, and she looked away from Phoebe. Phoebe shook her head, but smiled to Paige.

"You're right," she said softly. "I have to sort this out."

She walked up to Paige, smiled gently, and then trotted back up the stairs.

"Wonderful," Piper said sarcastically. "You know, I was only trying to help."

"I know you were Piper," Paige said, crossing her arms and walking over to her sister. "But right now, I think Phoebe needs our help. All of us. She probably just needs someone to blame right now. But we have to be strong, for her sake."

The beginnings of a smile began to touch Piper's mouth. Paige was right. This was not the time to be arguing. Right now, they needed to work together.

"I have an idea," she said. "Follow me."

* * *

The two sisters walked carefully into the attic. The first thing Piper noticed was the clear floor. She'd be sure to thank Paige for that later. 

Phoebe was standing by the book, leafing desperately through the pages for something – anything – that might help them with Cole. She glanced up when she heard footsteps, but other than that, made no recognitions of her sisters' arrival. Piper held a piece of paper in her hand, and walked cautiously up to Phoebe.

"I'm sorry Phoebe. I wanted to help, but I should have told you about Cole. But I think I have an idea that can help us now."

Phoebe sighed, but looked bravely up into the eyes of her older sister.

"It's okay," she said, meaning it. "I'm sorry too."

"I was thinking... it's pretty powerful magic that erased Cole's memory. A power of three spell would probably be able to fix that. He'd be... himself again. Do you want to go through with it?"

Phoebe thought for a moment. She thought about everything to do with Cole she hated. She thought about how miserable he had made her life in the last few months of their relationship. She thought about how much she used to love him. And then, she nodded.

"Let's do it."

The three girls gathered once more in front of the crystals. Leo leant against a desk by the side, waiting in case the girls needed him. He knew that they would probably have rather been alone, but it was just not safe enough. If Cole got hostile, there was no telling what he was capable of. He listened as the sisters read out the words on the paper Piper had written.

**_Let who he was become him now, _**

**_Take life with death, his past allow; _**

**_Bring the memories of new and old, _**

**_So we may know what's been untold. _**

Bright lights began surrounding Cole, and the sisters each backed away from him. The eerie, still body of Cole unfroze once more, but as the lights circling him started penetrating his body, he let out a terrifying cry of pain. Everyone he'd ever killed, every time he'd used his powers, he could feel it now. All the memories of helpless victims and blood stained bodies came rushing back to him. The pain he caused all those innocent people...

Cole let out a loud, hurtful cry in despair. He sank down to his knees and buried his head in his hands. It was too much.

"Something's hurting him," Phoebe said. She couldn't help the tenderness in her voice. Something inside her, no matter how small it was, still loved Cole. And she couldn't ignore that. She stepped forward, broke the crystal cage, and bent down next to the helpless man.

"Phoebe, what are you doing!" Piper cried, shocked. Paige patted her arm.

"I think she knows what she's doing," she said softly.

Phoebe put her arms around Cole's shoulders. Carefully, he sat up, and looked at her. His hair was tousled, and his eyes were red. He was out of breath, and panting, finding it difficult to live with the pain he could feel he had caused. But he was free.

"Phoebe..." he said, looking deep into her eyes. Before he could stop himself, he put a hand up to her cheek. For a second, she let him. But then she pulled away, and stood up. She brushed herself off, as if she had just fallen into a pile of dirt.

"What's going on, Cole," she said, adopting a hard tone in her voice. He shook his head, and stood up himself.

"About three weeks ago, I saw Piper's spirit in the cosmic void. I helped her regain her love with Leo, to show _you_ that love wasn't to be given up on, Phoebe."

"How can you say I've given up on love?" she demanded, taking a step backwards.

"Because I've seen it," he replied simply. "I've seen the pain in your eyes. Every relationship you've had hasn't brought that same fire into you that I first fell in love with – Drake excepted, of course."

"Drake?" Phoebe asked, confused. "How do you know about Drake?"

Cole chuckled, but retained Phoebe's eye contact.

"Let's just say I might have given him a helping hand."

"Oh my God..." she said, coming to a realisation. "You were the one who turned him into a mortal, weren't you?"

"Not quite."

She looked at him and cocked her head. Was this really all he had to offer?

"Are you still a demon?" she asked cautiously. God knows if he were they would have a lot more on their plate than an obsessed ex-lover.

"No," he shook his head. "And I'm not sorry for it, either."

"So... what the hell happened?"

"Look," Cole said, putting a hand up, as if to hush her. "Shall I just start from the beginning? It would be better than all of these questions."

Phoebe looked to her sisters, and they seemed to nod in agreement.

"No funny stuff, mister," Piper said sharply. She waved her hands threateningly, and raised her eyebrows. Cole nodded, knowing what she meant.

"All right," he coughed, not daring to even move to sit down. "It was shortly after you'd awoken, Piper, that I was visited. Some... man, in long, white robes. He told me that I had messed up destiny, and that you were supposed to die. That was supposed to be the end of the Charmed Ones' reign. He said that... that, although I had done a great and selfless deed in helping you and, consequently, helping Phoebe, it did not balance out. I had no idea what he was talking about; as far as I knew, you had called for help and – well – there I was."

"Naturally," Piper retorted. Phoebe cast a severe look back at her sister. She then motioned for Cole to continue.

"He went on to say that destiny had to be fixed. Something had to be done to restore the balance, and to put everything back as it was supposed to be. Supposedly, Piper was to die so that Paige and Phoebe could have the courage, strength and hate in them to vanquish Zankou, and then to continue their lives normally. Without magic. But, my helping Piper find her love again put a spanner in the works. Now you're alive, and I'm in trouble."

"Trouble? What do you mean, 'trouble'?"

Cole arched a thick, brown eyebrow towards the youngest sister.

"Let me finish, and you'll know," he said slowly, almost through gritted teeth. But he managed to compose his nature before he continued. "I didn't have much of a choice. The person in the robe – who, incidentally, told me he was a good guy – said that I was going to be 'replaced'. He said that the risk of me making contact with any of you again was too high, and that I needed to be 'stopped'. He wouldn't really explain much more, only that it was for the Greater Good and Grand Design. The next thing I know, I wake up in my old bed, where I used to live, and I'm living the life I used to live before I met any of you guys. The only difference is, I'm not a demon anymore. And, of course, the robed man completely wiped my memory. I only remembered... everything... when you said that spell."

There was a pause as the sisters and Leo took it all in. Eventually, Phoebe stepped up to him.

"And that's it?"

Cole nodded, and looked her into her eyes. _God, how I've missed those,_ he thought to himself.

"And now, everyone's in danger," Leo added from the quietness of his corner. He walked over to Cole himself. "Destiny is re-writing itself. Things that were 'meant to be' are falling away from knowledge. Things are happening that ought not to have happened. And right in the middle of it are you guys."

"So... what do we do?" asked the ever inquisitive Paige.

Phoebe looked from Cole, to her sisters, to Leo. Already, a plan was forming in her mind. Leo read her expression and nodded in agreement.

"What?" Piper queried, touching Phoebe's arm.

"We find whoever did this to Cole. And then we vanquish them."

"Phoebe," Cole said softly. With that tone in his voice, she could do little else but turn to him. He was rather closer than she expected, and she turned right into his broad chest. Cole gulped down the intense feeling to take her into his arms and show her just how much he'd missed her over the past years.

"What?" she asked gently, trying not to breathe in the scent she had long tried to forget.

"I said he was good. A good guy."

She looked up into his deep eyes, watching them flow like thick syrup.

"I know," she replied.


	7. Into the Beyond

Chapter Seven

"Phoebe, what do you think you're _doing_?"

Piper's shrill voice rang out through the living room. Phoebe was sitting at the coffee table, looking through the Book. Her hands crept over the pages as her eyes wandered carefully over its contents. Cole was sat beside her, bent over the book to offer his advice. But so far, it had been hopeless; there had been nothing of his robed visitor in the Book of Shadows. Paige was in the kitchen with Leo, making coffee. That just left Piper to pace around the living room ranting as she went.

Phoebe sighed, and leant back into the sofa. She rested her head against the top rim and closed her eyes.

"Piper, I have to fix this," she said, not opening her eyes. "You heard what Leo said. Our destinies are at risk."

"Phoebe, our destinies are always at risk. And it isn't your job to fix them; look what happened the last time somebody tried to do that!"

She pointed to Cole, and then realised that Phoebe couldn't see. So instead, she walked over and jabbed him in the arm.

"Ow!" he said, giving her a sharp look. She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. Her expression very easily said, _If you've got a problem, take it up with my hands_.

Phoebe looked up from her restful position on the couch.

"I need to do something. I can't just sit around and wait."

Cole, surprisingly, sided with Piper, despite her momentary attack on him. He supposed he was still suffering the lingering effects of the truth potion.

"Your sister's right, Phoebe. As much as I want to know what's going on, this isn't the time for personal vendettas."

"Thank you…" Piper said slowly, eyeing Cole with suspicion. She was still half expecting him to get up and start hurling fireballs at them.

Phoebe snorted at the complete irony of the situation. Two years of wondering what it would be like to see him again, of wondering how it would feel to be in his arms, to feel him on her side again, and he sided with _Piper_.

"Unbelievable," she said quietly She then sat up, avoiding Cole's look. If he didn't want to help her, that was fine. She didn't need him. Phoebe arose from the couch, scooping up the Book as she went. She felt an odd, warm glow from her fingertips, but ignored it.

"If none of you will help me, I'll do it myself," she stated bitterly.

This was the last straw. Piper marched around the table, over to Phoebe, and blocked her exit from the sitting room.

"I've had enough," she snapped, snatching the book away from Phoebe and dropping it onto the table. Cole, who even without his demonic powers could sense a fight, stood up awkwardly. "You can't run around like Paige and I are here to do your bidding, Phoebe. I've had it up to here," Piper signalled to her throat, "with your attitude. You know I love you, but this has got to stop!"

Phoebe's eyes narrowed, and she pushed herself past her eldest sister. She didn't have to listen to this.

"Hey!" Piper protested sharply. She reached out a rough hand to catch Phoebe by the arm.

"Get _off_ me!" Phoebe yelled, and swung around to glare at her sister. Her voice was loud, and strong, and hateful. She yanked her arm out of Piper's reach, and lowered her voice to a deadly hush. "Don't you dare touch me again."

"Phoebe..."

"NO!" she screamed, avoiding Piper's grasp for a second time. She stood, panting heavily, as though she had just finished running a marathon. Glitters of sweat were appearing on her forehead, and she was shaking terribly. But it was her eyes that Piper was worriedly looking at. Where there had been cool, calm green, there was now an electrifying bright blue, as if someone had taken slices of a summer sky and put them in Phoebe's eyes. And then, suddenly, her eyes literally flashed a very thick, deep black.

"Phoebe..." Piper repeated, her voice broken and full of worry. Cole, who up until now had been averting his gaze, glanced over at the pair. The expression on his face transformed from mild annoyance to a look of pure fear. He rushed over to Phoebe and stood in front of her; taking her by the arms he shook her, hard.

"What are you doing?" Piper cried, too upset by the sight of Phoebe to really know what was going on. But Cole couldn't hear her. All he knew, all he felt, all he thought, was Phoebe. He had to save her. _No,_ he thought violently, shaking her still. _I've been through too much to lose you again._

"Don't give in," he pleaded, his voice no more than a growl. "Phoebe, don't let it take you."

He shook her again, desperately trying to release her from her darkened state. For a brief second, her eyes cleared, and she looked up into his face.

"Help me," she begged. And then, her eyes clouded over for a final time, and she dissolved out of Cole's grip.

* * *

Paige rushed into the living room just as Cole let out a loud cry of dismay. He threw his arms up, and swore so badly that Piper had to hush him. She was too upset to do anything other than show her feelings with anger. 

"Why didn't she tell us!" she exclaimed, sitting down on the sofa and putting her head in her hands.

"What's going on?" Paige asked, cup of coffee in hand. Then, seeing Piper's condition, adopted a more serious and worried tone in her voice. "Piper, what's happened?"

"I don't know," she cried from behind her hands.

Cole frowned, and blinked back the overwhelming urge to punch something.

"I do," he said grimly. All eyes turned to him. "Or at the very least, I can guess."

Leo paced in, and from one look around the room, already guessed that something bad had happened. Piper was collapsed into a chair. Cole was leaning heavily against the woodwork frame next to the grandfather clock, shaking his head. Paige had put her mug on the table, and was barely moving.

"Where's Phoebe?" Leo asked, noticing the missing. Piper shot him a look.

"If I know anything about demons, she's probably in the Underworld," Cole sighed. Leo did a double a take.

"What? Are you serious?"

"No, Leo, he made it up to tease you," Piper snapped sarcastically. When Prue had died, she had made a promise to herself that she would protect her younger sisters. And she had failed. Phoebe had been possessed - or something - and was God knows where in the Underworld. But something was still nagging at Piper's heart. There was something going on that was far too much to be a coincidence. If everything happened for a reason, what was the reason behind this? She suddenly had a thought. Maybe the Book _could _help them. She picked it up from the coffee table and started to search.

Leo came over and sat next to her, putting a comforting hand on her back. Pipe didn't stop looking, but she was glad that he was there. He could always keep a level head in desperate situations, and she loved him all the more for it.

"But what _happened_?"

Paige's eyes were darting around the room, from the sombre figure by the wall to the couple on the sofa. Piper, who was fighting urges to go down into the Underworld and start blowing everything that wasn't vaguely 'Phoebe shaped' into a mass of oblivion, kept quiet. So it was Cole who answered Paige's question.

"She was taken by evil," he said simply, not knowing a better way to phrase it.

"What?" Paige asked, appalled. "How did this happen?"

There was a long, stretched silence. Nobody knew.

"Well?" Paige pushed.

"Not helping, Paige!" Piper half shouted, not looking up. Her eyes were scanning the book desperately, and she didn't have time to deal with unanswerable questions.

"We can fix this, right?"

Paige's voice was tinted with worry, and shook with fear. This had to be connected with Cole's return. Too much pointed to him.

"All right, buster," she said severely, starting towards Cole. "What the hell have you done with her this time?"

He looked up, shocked.

"I didn't do anything," he growled slowly.

"Yeah, well, I don't believe you," Paige replied, coming to a halt just in front of him. "You turn up, and suddenly our sister's poofed off the to the Underworld, evil and all. You must have done something. This is another ploy to get Phoebe back. Make her evil, so she'll just - "

"Paige," Piper interrupted, standing up. Leo followed suit. "It wasn't Cole."

The youngest looked around, shaking her head.

"Yeah, and how do you know that?"

"Because she's been acting strange ever since Drake died. Whatever was in her to make her evil has been there for a while. And though I don't know how it got there, I do know that it probably wasn't anything to do with Cole."

"Yes, 'probably', Piper. We've assumed too much good about this guy to let him get away with this."

"Hey!" Cole protested, unable to help the defence in his voice. "I told you, I'm not a demon anymore. I'll be the first to admit it wouldn't have been beneath me to turn Phoebe evil in the past, but things have changed. I'm not evil anymore."

Paige swivelled back to Cole, determined not to let him win. He _had_ to know something else. She could read it in his face.

"Yes, but - "

"No, Paige," Piper interrupted, for a second time. She laid a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder. "I know you need someone to blame, Paige. But right now, we don't have anyone. Cole's a mortal - an innocent."

"And he's not the source of our problems," Leo added. "It was probably him being here that sent Phoebe over the edge, but that doesn't mean it's his fault. Right now, we need to work together."

Paige looked from Cole to Piper and Leo. She wasn't going to win.

"All right," she backed off. But she wouldn't forget what she had said. And she was going to prove it eventually. He had been practically insane with power last time they had met, and Paige supposed that two years in a spiritual 'void' could not have helped at all. "I'm going to try scrying," she offered, and trotted up the stairs.

When Paige was out of earshot, Piper turned back to Cole.

"You should know, I love my sisters very dearly. If Paige is right, I will blow your sorry ass to kingdom come. Got it?"

"How many times do I have to explain that I'm not evil anymore?" Cole said, putting his face just inches away from Piper's. His tone was almost threatening. She cocked her head sharply, and then walked away. There wasn't an answer she could give that wouldn't have offended him, so she thought it better to keep quiet.

"Shall I go and check with the Elders?" Leo asked cautiously, avoiding looking at Cole. Piper looked up to him.

"I forget you can orb now..."

He looked at her expectantly.

"Fine, you may as well," she sighed. Leo didn't need telling twice, and was out of the manor in seconds. There was a part of Piper that was pleased he had his powers back. He could orb, and heal, and had so far not been given any other charges. But she was slightly disgruntled at how happy Leo seemed to be it, and she still couldn't understand why.

"What about me?" Cole asked, interrupting her thoughts. Piper cast a glance down the coffee table.

"Your robed man," she began, motioning towards the Book of Shadows. "You think he's in there?"

Cole shrugged, and put his hands in his pockets.

"Could be. But he's good. Why would he be in the Book?"

"He only _told_ you he was good. Demons lie, you know," Piper said, giving him a very poignant look. Cole frowned, but other than that, ignored what she was implying.

"Can we put the past behind us? At least for now?"

Piper sighed loudly, and looked to the floor.

"Help us find Phoebe," was all she said. "After that, then we'll talk."

She turned around and left the sitting room, attempting to keep Paige company. When she was half way up the stairs, she called down to Cole, "Bring the Book up when you've finished looking!"

"I've been back barely an hour, and already I'm their slave," Cole muttered, bending down to pick up the book. The Book slammed itself shut, glowed orange for a moment, then jumped off the coffee table and slid under the couch. Cole groaned.

"Not you as well," he complained, bending down on all fours to search under the couch. He stretched his hand out, but the Book slid further out of his reach. "It's hard enough convincing the sisters that I'm good. Let alone the source of their powers."

He got up, and made his way around to the other side of the sofa. Crouching down beside the book, he put out a timid hand. Cole quelled the temptation to snatch at the book, but instead very gently reached out to it. Just a few more centimetres...

It shot across the floor into walkway by the kitchen. Cole let out a cry of frustration, and stood up to his feet. This didn't make sense. He assumed that the book could sense the old part of him, the part that had been with him for over a centuary, and that no amount of magic could probably really get rid of. But it wasn't in him anymore. It was his past. And he was beginning to wonder if he would ever stop being blamed for it.

A shuffle at the top of the stairs alerted him to a presence.

"Oh, hello Paige," he said turning around. She didn't move.

"Piper told me to see how you were doing with the book..." she said slowly, daring to descend down the stairs by a step. Cole made an apprehensive glance towards the Book of Shadows, now lying peacefully in the foyer.

"I, er..." Cole stumbled, not sure how much Paige had seen. She already didn't trust him. To know that the book didn't either would only add to his difficulty.

"Are coping just fine?" Paige offered, walking slowly down the rest of the stairs. She didn't take her eyes off Cole. _Oh God,_ he thought, trying to hide his nervousness with a smile. _She's seen the book's reaction_. She walked past him, into the lobby, and bent down for the Book. It sprung across the floor and under a chair in the patio.

"Woah!" Paige shouted, falling backwards. She was stunned.

"Aha!" Cole exclaimed, only a little joy in his voice that he was not evil. But then he realised what had happened, and the significance of what it meant. He rushed over and offered Paige a hand up. She looked up at him for a moment, frowned, and then took his hand.

"What the hell was that?" she said, casting a dark look across to the Book.

"I don't know. But if it's avoiding you as well, it means you can trust me."

She looked at him sharply.

"For now," she replied.

"Oh don't give me that, Paige," Cole uttered, finding it difficult not to lose his patience. She was like a persistent child. "I'm just as confused as you are. Don't look at me like you expect me to blurt out the answer. I don't know. _I don't know!_"

His voice was a strained yell at the last bit. Paige backed off slightly, but narrowed her eyes. Had he done something to the book?

Cole read her expression like a picture book. He shook his head in frustration.

"I know you don't trust me. I'm not saying I haven't given you reasons to, either. But right now, Phoebe's been taken by evil. I'm stuck in a world I should have left behind. The Book of Shadows doesn't trust either of us. And still, nobody has the answer."

Footsteps thudded down the stairs. The disarrayed figure of Piper stood in the doorway.

"What the hell's going on down here?" she demanded, glancing from the standoffish Paige to the angered Cole. "Where's the book?"

Paige jerked her head towards the chair it was hidden under.

"It jumped away from me when I tried to pick it up."

"What...?" Piper asked, her voice less hard. "How could that be?"

"I don't know," Paige replied sweetly, keeping her eyes on the floor. "Maybe someone tampered with it."

Cole rolled his eyes.

"For the love of God..."

"Oi!" Piper barked, waving a finger. "I'll have no more fighting from either of you. Paige, fetch the book."

She rolled her eyes, but did as was commanded. Paige walked into the patio, with Piper and Cole closely in tow. She bent down and reached under the seat for the book. It shuffled out of her reach.

"Piper," she said worriedly. "I'm serious. It won't let me touch it."

"Here, let me."

Piper stepped forward, and pulled the chair away. There, in the corner, sat the book, with three bodies looking tensely at it. She leant down to get it. It glowed a fierce, fiery-red colour, and flew up to the window. There was a devastating crash as it burst through the doors and out onto the lawn, its spine and pages bedraggled.

"Oh no..." Piper said in a hushed tone. "That's not good."

"Got any more bright ideas?" Paige muttered.

"If you guys can't touch the Book, does that mean it's evil?" Cole suggested. Piper rounded on him, a fiery glint in her eye.

"No it does not!" she cried. "Leo!"

There was silence. The three looked at each other.

"_Leo_!" Piper shouted again, with more force.

Nothing.

"I bet he can hear me," she said irritably. Paige and Cole exchanged a worried look. For once, they agreed on the same decision.

"LEO!"

Again, their call was answered with silence. Something was wrong. Piper knew it. She could feel something foreboding wrapping itself around her heart. Paige and Cole both came to the same conclusion at once; but it was Cole who voiced the fear lurking in everyone's hearts.

"Piper, I don't think he's coming back."


	8. Blood Ties

Chapter VIII - Blood Ties

"_Don't give in. Phoebe, don't let it take you!"_

_She could hear the strong, calm words in her mind soothing her fierce insanity. For a moment, the darkness quelled, and she could see again. There, in front of her, was Cole, right where he should be. He was her knight, her hero. He would save her._

"_Help me," she pleaded desperately to him._

_She heard the quiet words leave her strangled lips. But then the darkness consumed her heart, and her screams of terror were lost in an abyss of black sea._

_

* * *

_

Phoebe's consciousness returned. She turned her head drearily, and opened her eyes. A deep, auburn light stung at her vision, and she squinted beyond herself. She could make out the dark shapes of jagged walls and could hear the crackle of a fire not far off. Had she had another dream?

"Ah, and Beauty awakes."

Apparently not.

Phoebe's vision cleared slightly and she shook herself awake. There was a pounding ache just above her right eye, and she could feel a trickle of fresh blood oozing down her temple. She tried to move, but everything beyond her head was seemingly paralysed. A dark figure, clad in black shirt and trousers with a long, leather coat, stood not far off. His face was thin and sneering, and was master to a long nose and greedy smile. He was pacing the dank, underground cavern slowly.

"So… which one are you?" he asked icily. His voice was thin, yet sly. Just hearing it made Phoebe feel slightly nauseous: though, it also may have had something to do with the wringing headache in her temples. Her mind was too groggy for speech, so she choked pathetically. She could feel something sinister inside her, licking at her heart like flames in a fire. But she was still herself – for now.

"I asked you a question," the sly demon said, his voice becoming smooth like silk. Phoebe, her mind working but her mouth still not, remained silent.

The demon stepped forwards casually, letting the rims of his black leather shoes kick up dust from the cavern floor. He stopped just a few inches short of her face, letting his eyes glide from the gash on her forehead, over her grim face and down her thin, slender body. Phoebe shuddered inwardly. She hated demons.

The demon glanced up sharply at her reaction. He let a wry smile tickle the edges of his mouth, enjoying her anguish.

"You must be Phoebe," he said, not taking his eyes off her. "I can see what that demon Belthazor saw in you. Feisty little witch. Pity about the sickening urge to do Good, though. But – we can soon change that."

He raised his eyebrows.

Phoebe lolled her head briefly, before finding the strength within herself to speak. The mention of Cole had given her a grasp on reality, if only slight.

"My sisters…" she spluttered, but did not have the strength to continue.

"…Are already too late," the demon finished for her, a malevolent glint gleaming in his eye.

Phoebe shook her head slowly.

"No…"

But she was too weak to fight anymore. The burning intensity in her heart increased, and something began to change inside her. She felt new strength rise up from within her, but with it, a terrifying power to kill.

"That's it," the demon replied coaxingly, though he backed away slightly. "You can't fight for much longer. There's too much to die for."

Phoebe's head snapped up suddenly. Her eyes blazed a dazzling bright blue, and when she spoke, her voice was etched with the shrill prick of iniquity.

"Tell me who you are."

"All in good time – "

"No, now!" she shrieked. The demon watched with glee as her left hand twitched. This was it. The witch was losing. He bowed his head in reply, like a servant to his master.

"Very well," he answered silkily, "I will tell you what you wish to know."

Phoebe considered him for a moment, a suspicious glint appearing in her eyes.

"You are a demon," she stated. It was more an observation than a question. The demon bowed, signifying her accuracy. "What will you do with me?"

"Do?" he scoffed, and then remembered to whom he was talking. "My lady, I am Mackenzie – Mack to most. Demon of the Underworld, though most around here would not like to admit to it. It has taken me great time and patience to get you here as you are now. But I look forward to hearing what _you_ have to do."

"This body is weak," Phoebe growled, her voice no longer her own. "You think I cannot endure a stronger one."

"It – ah – displeases you?" Mack asked, faltering. The last thing he needed was a pissed off warlock on his hands. Phoebe looked at him momentarily.

"No."

Mackenzie sighed briefly. It was a risky business, attempting to turn one of the Charmed Ones. Who knew what it could amount to?

_What's going on?_ Phoebe's thoughts rang out in her head. _Where am I? Who is this guy?_ She tried to voice her objections, but found that her speech was suppressed before it could reach her throat. At the corners of her mind, she could feel something menacing invading her thoughts. It was difficult to fight it off. There was something growing inside of her, some desperate need to be free…

Phoebe tore herself away from the wall in an angry fit. The paralysis spell used to keep her there was now completely useless. She stood for a moment, panting with recovery from the sheer effort it took to break away. The same pinpricking feeling in her mind became stronger, and stronger. She spoke, but it was not Phoebe speaking.

"She is strong," Phoebe's voice said before her. "She fights well."

Delight spread across Mackenzie's face. He had expected a challenge from the witch, not for her to give in so easily. Perhaps this could be easier than he imagined.

"The witch in her is still connected with her sisters," Mack offered dryly. "That is the only thing keeping you and her apart, keeping her free."

"What do you suggest?" the sadistic voice asked. In her mind, Phoebe could feel herself pushing something away; but the more force she used to keep it from her psyche, the harder it seemed to battle against her.

"It's simple," Mack replied, reaching into a deep pocket of his leather coat. His hand retreated and, with it, a gleaming, glistening silver athame. It was tainted with magical symbols, and the power emitted off it in waves. The demon watched the witch in front of him straighten up, and her eyes become shot with a dark, thick black. The corners of a smile lit up in his mouth, and he held the athame out to her, handle first. "You kill them."

* * *

Piper stood in the kitchen with her hands on her hips. She was staring defiantly staring at the ceiling, ignoring the reluctance of both Paige and Cole. By this time, they had given up trying to reason with her, and had retreated back into the living room to try and figure out how to heal the book. There was too much for Piper to cope with. She couldn't cope with her sister being evil. She couldn't cope with the return of Cole. She couldn't cope with her husband being ripped away from her, by the very people whose lives they were supposed to be dependant on. So, for the moment, she shouted. 

"I don't know what you _asses_ are playing at, but if you hadn't noticed, we're a sister down right now!"

She looked expectantly at the ceiling, and her mouth thinned.

From inside the living room, Cole winced. He couldn't see Piper in the kitchen, but he could definitely hear her shrewd voice through the air.

"Good to see some things never change," he said, peering around the corner. But he couldn't see Piper.

"Yup," Paige agreed, with a heavy sigh. "Just another day in the life of the 'Charmed Ones'."

She had meant it mockingly.

Cole pulled his head up for a moment, a thoughtful frown creasing his forehead.

"Did Piper find anything scrying?" he asked eventually, turning back to Paige. She shook her head.

"Nothing of use," she replied miserably. "Only that, with a heavy enough crystal, cotton thread really doesn't last very long."

Cole frowned harder. There was something nagging at him; something that Piper had said whilst he was in the void.

"Something the matter?" Paige asked brusquely, seeing his expression.

"I don't know..." he replied thoughtfully. Cole ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He felt so helpless, like he was trapped in a child's game of tag. He knew there was a lot more each of them could be doing, especially himself. He so wanted to be able to conjure a fireball, and shimmer to wherever he felt Phoebe near, that it almost tore him in half – more so than when he was a demon. The most part of him didn't miss it. He didn't miss the aggravating, angering war he was always waging on himself. He didn't miss the nagging temptation of always giving in; leaving everything he had ever wanted. He didn't miss the hot-blooded temper that accompanied everything he hated in himself. But he had been with magic for so long, with that power inside of him, that even without them, he wasn't truly sure where the lingering demon effects left off and where his human Cole began. But the one thing he did long for, the thing he missed most from anything else, was his power to protect Phoebe. Without his powers, he was nothing to her. Not that it mattered now.

"Cole?"

Paige had sensed something was wrong, and arose from the couch. He looked up desperately.

"Can you sense her?"

"Phoebe?" Paige asked, confused. Cole nodded. "No... I've never been strong on the sensing, and now she's evil, she probably doesn't want to be found anyway."

"We haven't lost her yet," Cole said determinedly, and started up the attic stairs. The book may be evil, but he was damned if he were just going to let her go like that. He had suddenly had an idea about that nagging little feeling.

Paige was after him in a flash, darting up the stairs. She called out for Piper, but her eldest sister was still too busy in her own problems of trying to get their whitelighter back. Paige shrugged, and followed Cole. She found him in the attic rummaging through a storage cupboard.

"Hey!" she protested, marching over to him. He retracted from the drawer, and his hand was a sharp, polished knife. Paige's eyes widened as she saw her reflection look back at her from the smooth blade. "What do you think you're doing?"

Cole shook his head, and walked over to the map with the scrying crystal.

"We share a bond, Phoebe and I – even between you and Piper," he said, his concentrated eyes not looking up from the blade. Paige rolled her eyes. Not this again.

"Cole, how many times – "

"Paige," he said sharply, interrupting. "I know you don't like it. But it's true. It's not the bond I thought we had: Phoebe and I are not destined to be together. Believe or not, I've learned that now. But we do share a bond, a connection, and nothing you can say is going to change that. Now will you hear me out?"

Paige considered the ex-demon for a moment. Seeing him standing rigidly over the small desk, knife in hand, crystal in the other, was somehow touching. She hated to admit it, but there _was_ something different about him. So she nodded for him to continue.

"The bond we have transcends everything. Life, death, magic, mortality – even destiny. We're connected, and if we are, that means I'll always be able to find her. There will always be something for each of us to hold on to, which is keeping either of us from truly moving on. That's why I was stuck in the void, attached to her. And it's why she hasn't had a successful relationship since."

Paige would have objected, but it was true. Every man Phoebe had loved since couldn't give her what she needed.

"So, with that in mind, maybe I can find her," Cole finished. "I may not be magical, but the love we once shared doesn't just die. It remains in everything we do. So I can find her."

"It still seems like a long shot to me," Paige said aloud. There wasn't anything more she wanted than to see Phoebe back, happy and healthy. But she hadn't really seen her sister that way since Drake. And she missed it.

Cole looked up from the map he had been studying.

"It's the only shot we've got," he said matter-of-factly. And he was right. Paige met his eye contact, and held a firm gaze.

"Anything you want me to do?" she asked eventually, and Cole smiled to have her support.

"Yeah," he replied, rolling up the sleeve of his arm. "Take this."

He sliced the knife across his skin, letting a thin sliver of skin slide over it. Crimson liquid began to ooze from the cut and trickle down his forearm. Cole shivered in pain. He had never before realised just how different the threshold of pain for a human was. Paige flinched horribly, and looked away. Cole, his other hand now over the cut to stop excessive blood loss, grinned a little.

"So demons and warlocks you can handle, but you cringe at a little human blood?"

Paige opened an eye and looked at the knife, now letting blood dribble over the map.

"Let's just say I wasn't cut out to be a nurse," she replied, edging towards it. She picked the knife up, which still had Cole's flesh on it. "What do you want me to do with this?" she asked, disgusted.

"Take it down to Piper," Cole replied, trying not to pass out with the immense pain in his arm. "Tell her it's to find Phoebe. I'll be down to help with the potion you're going to need."

"Potion?" Paige queried, a puzzled look spreading over her face.

"Go," Cole insisted. He looked up to Paige's twinkling eyes. "Trust me."

When Paige was out of the attic, Cole let out a small, muffled cry. He took his hand away from the cut in his arm, and was horrified to see his hand stained crimson. He flexed his arm gently, but recoiled with the ache it sent through his cut.

"Memo to self," he said, as he carefully rolled down his sleeve again. "Knives hurt."

And with that, he turned and left the attic.

* * *

_A/N: I know that this story has been slow starting, but more will be happening in the next few. I just wanted to build up a feeling os suspense: though, granted, I may have gone a little far with it. I'm not really feeling that inspired of late, and work has been getting on top of me, so I may be a short while in my updates. Even so, dropping a review in would really perk things up a bit. This is my frist fanfic, and knowing the good parts and the bad parts will help me in the future. Besides, everyone likes reviews. Oh, and yes Ele, there will be more Phoebe/Cole cuddling. You don't really think I'd bring him back for nothing, do you? ;-)  
_


	9. Of Light and Dark

_A/N: This chapter contains some mild swearing and cursing - do not read if offended :)  
_

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Chapter IX - Of Light and Dark

The Elders were evasive, as usual. Leo could hear Piper's cries of dismay and pleading echoing around his mind, but could he do anything about it? Could he hell. The Elders were murmuring to themselves, whispering possible answers to the mess the girls had got themselves into. But the truth was, nobody knew. And the worst part was, they just would not let him go. He wasn't 'allowed' to think about the situation himself, to help the family out on his own. It had to be under orders, under rules. Just like it always had been.

Wisps of cloud and smoke floated around him as he walked through the Upperworld. Hooded figures drifted by him, meandering their way around as if they had no real purpose in life. Leo flinched as Piper's piercing voice screamed in his head again. He wanted to so much to orb down to her, to tell her that everything was all right. But it wasn't. The powers he had reclaimed were not for his own benefit. He didn't even want them. But he had no choice. His powers inflicted his mortal life, yet again, and all for the Grand Design, and the Greater Good.

"Not so great, now, is it?" He muttered to himself.

A fellow whitelighter looked up to him at his speech, and smiled gently. She was young, with dark brown hair that flicked out at the ends in slight curls. Her brown eyes shone with knowledge.

"New to the craft, are you?" she asked patronisingly, laying a hand on his upper arm. Leo jerked his arm out of her reach.

"Not exactly, no."

For a second, she let a frown trample over the pleasant look on her face. But then, she shook her head, and returned to her smile.

"The good will always be with you," she replied, as if it was somehow the answer to all his prayers. She continued walking away from him when Leo made no reaction.

He rolled his eyes. And then, he made a decision. Enough was enough. If the Elders didn't have an answer, that was fine. If they wanted to brainwash him with mellow thoughts of the good and cheerful, that was fine. But he would not let them cloud his judgement where the sisters were concerned. They were family.

Leo turned, and marched off towards where he knew the Elders were gathered. He stormed in beyond the pillars marking the boundaries between whitelighters and Elders, and rounded on the nearest one he could see. A hard, unwelcoming look spread across his usual agreeable face.

"You need to let me orb back to Piper," he stated to the robe. The robe lifted his hands to his hood, and lowered it. The face looking back at Leo was none other than the Elder who had appeared in the sisters' attic earlier that day. What had he been trying to warn them about? Some shift in the balance? The message had been unclear, and Leo couldn't remember.

"Piper?" The Elder questioned gently, the same genial smile on his face as all the others. "She's just fine," he soothed.

"Like hell she is," Leo spat back. "I can hear her calling me. Why won't you let me go?"

The Elder held an arm out to the other cloaked figures around him.

"You cannot desert those who need you most. Not in such a time as this."

"As _what_?"

The Elder's eyes washed over Leo's severe face and rigid posture. There was so much good to be had in him, if only he would let it. His love for the witch and her sisters had always been his downfall. But it wouldn't be for long.

"It doesn't matter. Just know that this is for the Greater Good - "

"Screw the Grater Good," Leo interrupted, grabbing the Elder by the robes. A wave of worry spread through the other Elders around, but Leo pretended not to notice. His face almost twitched with anger as he leant is face close into the Elder's. "Send me back to my wife."

For the first time, a deep, worried frown crinkled the Elder's forehead and didn't recede.

"You don't know what you're saying," the Elder replied bitterly, trying to release himself from Leo's surprisingly strong grip.

"I know that there's something you're not telling me."

Distrust was obvious in Leo's voice, and he didn't try to hide it. He didn't want to.

"You're not an Elder anymore Leo," he replied coldly. "We have no right to tell you things."

Leo pulled the Elder in close, his eyes flashing with rage.

"Bull - Shit," he whispered harshly.

"Leo!" the Elder protested, his boundaries of patience being pushes. "What on earth has got into you?"

In a flash, Leo released the Elder and stumbled backwards. He blinked and shook his head, as if he'd just been slapped in the face. He took a double take and unclenched his fists.

"I... don't know," he admitted, a little worriedly.

The Elder's face dropped, and he exchanged a worried glance with his others. If it was already starting, they were in worse trouble than they could handle.

Leo looked around at the whispering, murmuring mass of cloaks. They were obviously trying to decide if they should tell him something. After a few moments, the same man stepped forward from the ring of Elders, where he had retreated.

"Leo, the sisters are in more danger than you could possibly imagine," he said bluntly. Strange, Leo thought, how they could be so evasive and cryptic one minute, and so blunt the next.

"Go on," Leo said, crossing his arms and hoping that that wasn't all they had to offer. They owed him more than that, and he began to recognise Piper's dislike of them.

"The second youngest, Phoebe - she has been taken by evil. Consumed by it. With her, the Book of Shadows is turning too. She has not completely given in, so that is why her sisters are still unaffected. But it won't be long before the evil inside her completely destroys her, taking the Power of Three with it."

"But... I don't understand," Leo said honestly. "She's been evil before. They all have. Why, now, does it matter?"

"Because, to be quite honest Leo, destiny has changed. Hers included."

"I thought destiny was always changing," Leo replied dryly, unfolding his arms. "Free will, and all that."

The Elder shook his head.

"Destiny itself doesn't change," he replied, putting an arm around Leo's shoulder and beginning to pace away from the others. Leo was slightly taken aback, and his shoulders tensed. "What changes," the Elder continued, "are the choices on how one gets there. Timeline, the 'how's and the 'what's - those are what affect how one reaches one's destiny. But Phoebe's - indeed, all of the sisters' - has undergone a complete transformation. Apart from into evil, it would seem, we have no idea how it will change."

Leo was shocked, and walked out of the Elder's calming reach. Why now? Why them? In fact, just why? Hadn't they been through enough? There had to be a spell of some sort, some powerful demon to bring this about. There always was, and they could always fix it.

"Not this time," the Elder said from behind Leo.

"Wha - were you reading my mind?" Leo asked incredulously. The Elder merely shrugged.

"There is no demon or powerful dark magic strong enough to have brought this on," he offered by way of an answer.

"What about powerful _good_ magic?" Leo asked bitterly, distrust wavering in his eyes like waves on the seashore. The Elder pretended not to hear.

"I cannot tell you where the turning point for this ripple in destiny occurred. It would not matter now anyway, as nothing can be done to stop it. But this is what we know, right down to the facts: Phoebe will turn evil, and with her the Book. The sisters are susceptible to it, and will turn as well - if Phoebe doesn't kill them first, that is. From then on, the balance will shift into evil, and all the mortals will be in danger. The three 'Damned Ones', as they shall no doubt be called, will take over the underworld and become far more powerful than any Source has been. They will be invincible to the powers of good magic. We will be thrown into a darkness that even We cannot foresee. But with the sisters, Leo, there is something else. With the sisters evil, you will be drawn to the evil with them. And then, you will turn, aiding them in battles such as you do now. That is why we made you a whitelighter again, for fear of losing you. But the fact still remains - the sisters must be stopped."

The Elder finished his speech with a sigh, as if he had been talking to a five year old. But Leo didn't notice. His mind was reeling as thoughts whizzed through it. It wasn't possible. It _couldn't_ be possible. He looked up desperately to his counsel.

"And... There's nothing you can do?" He pleaded, his emotions brewing in his eyes. The Elder looked almost sorry for him. But, reluctantly, he shook his head.

"No," he said slowly. Leo wheeled around, and screwed up his eyes. A monster like feeling was welling in his heart, and he couldn't contain it. But he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"If you go back down, Leo, you put yourself in danger of turning evil. You put all of us in danger. I can already sense the beginnings of evil in you as we speak."

Leo looked over his shoulder. He knew what the Elder meant, and he knew that he was right.

"So... I can't...?"

"I'm afraid not."

Leo tried to sigh away his fears, and his tears. But it was useless.

"And - there's no one?" He said through broken breaths. The hand released itself from Leo's shoulder and the Elder was silent. Leo brought his head up and looked around, staring at the Elder. He repeated his question, more sternly.

"There is... one..." the Elder spoke reluctantly.

"Who?"

The Elder held Leo's gaze for a minute. Admitting to the hope of salvation was like putting their lives, their courage, their future and their faith in to the hands of the Source. Hell, it very nearly was.

He replied, nevertheless, though with some apprehension.

"The one you call Cole."

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Phoebe was pacing the Underworld impatiently. She had sent Mackenzie up to see what her sisters were up to over half an hour ago, and now her patience was wearing thin and she wished him back. He was more useful to her as a clever demon than a dead spy.

She sighed. The irritating remains of the witch's conscience was still in her, that nagging feeling of thinking of others. It was suffocating. She wondered, briefly, how she had ever managed to keep her head above water before she had been given the chance of freedom. The sisters, she supposed, had a large part to play. She made a mental note to personally thank them for it later - though by means of a card and present was certainly not what she had in mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mack, who shimmered in beside her.

"Well?" she barked. He could sense her anger, and wished that he had no strayed away so long.

"I saw only one of the witches, my mistress," he said sneeringly, getting on to his knees and bowing his head. Phoebe rolled her eyes. The pathetic, snivelling demon was beginning to get on her nerves. If he were 'oh so powerful', why had he not simply vanquished the Charmed Ones himself? She grabbed at his shoulder and brought him back up to his feet.

"I don't need you to be my slave," she said coldly, releasing her grip. "Just tell me what you know."

He shook his head at her strength and confidence. Already she was beginning to learn - a fast study would definitely come in useful for his pledge to the throne of the underworld. And if she played her cards right, he _might_ just let her be his queen. Especially since he had disposed of the love of her life, one of the only remaining things tying her down.

"It was your older sister, Piper, I believe. She was shouting rather harshly at the ceiling, calling for Leo. Her husband, I presume. No doubt those do-good Elders have him up there for - "

"Enough," Phoebe interrupted, and walked away from him. So Leo had disappeared again. Phoebe smiled wryly. Of course. The Elders must have known about her trip to the Underworld, so they were probably running around like headless chickens with no idea what to do. That was what usually happened, anyway. She doubted very much whether Piper would be hanging off their every word - quite the opposite, probably. But she listened to Leo, and if he suggested something, she usually went with it. And if she were concentrating on Leo, she probably wasn't concentrating on the Book.

"Mack!" she shouted out, and turned around. He came pacing up towards her.

"What is it?"

"I'll be going up there to pay my sisters a... shall we say... 'visit'."

Mack looked a little taken aback, to say the least. His demonic nature rose in him, and his distrust was evident on his face.

"You're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Phoebe snapped. Good-for-nothing demon. Did he have to question everything she did? He probably had an ulterior motive, wanted her power, and was worried that she was misleading him. It wasn't entirely untrue. She wasn't just going to kill her sisters, if that was what he thought. No, a nice slow torture should suffice - enough to bring them to evil, anyway. Giving in was always easier and, for this time at least, more beneficial.

"Make sure nobody hears of my..." she paused, trying to find the right word to finish her sentence. "Return."

Mack nodded obediently. Phoebe, apparently pleased, tapped in to her powers. She wanted to go to the manor, and she wanted to find the book. She knew she had the capacity and power to do so, but finding the trigger was going to be more complicated. _Better now than when it matters_, she thought. She became rigid and closed her eyes, willing her body into the manor. Presently, she heard Mack's voice break through the stillness of her thoughts.

"Phoebe?"

She screwed up her eyes as if to tell him to be quiet. He got the message. _Manor, manor, manor_, Phoebe thought. But it was useless. She opened an eye, and was still standing in the same, dank cave.

"Typical," she scoffed, throwing her arms by her side. "All this power cooped up inside, and I can't even tap in to it to get in to a damn house!"

She could feel the anger rising inside her. Suddenly, her surroundings began to blur into each other and she felt her stomach rise as her anger subsided. Within seconds, the insides of the manor materialised in front of her. _Figures_, she thought, brushing off her clothes and trying to steady her spinning head. _Anger _would_ be my trigger, wouldn't it?_

She was standing in the living room, in the same place she had been before she had shimmered out earlier. _Blinking is better,_ Phoebe thought, remembering the time she and Piper had been turned into warlocks all those years ago. Blinking was better and faster, and the after effect wasn't so nasty to deal with. She could hear muffled talking going on in the kitchen, and supposed that Piper was now talking with Cole and Paige. But she hardly wanted to draw attention to herself. No doubt her sisters would try and blackmail her into coming back into the 'light'. And then there was that damned whitelighter, and his goody-goody attitude. It's a pity the Elders had given him back his powers, really - he could have been quite useful.

Phoebe looked around at her surroundings. The last she remembered, the Book of Shadows had been on the coffee table, and it certainly wasn't there now. She dreaded to think that it might have been in the kitchen: now was hardly the time for family reunions. Then again, perhaps she could use this opportunity to convince her sisters that she wasn't evil. She could pretend. They wouldn't expect that after all, would they?

She shook her head, trying to shake all the thoughts of stringing them up for torture out of her head. Reluctantly, she made her way around the table. Then, very carefully, she poked her head around the corner of the kitchen door.


	10. Deception

**_A:N_**_: This__chapter is longer than my others, mostly because I didn't know how to bring it to a successful close. I'd like to thank some people for what they've said.  
_

_Gilluin: You comments touch me dearly, and thank you for the wonderful support. You inspire me to keep writing :)_

_ethereal-girl: Yeah, mortality and Cole just don't seem to mix... you never know, it may not be the end of the road for him yet ;-)_

_ Everyone else, thank you so much. Now, on with the chapter._

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Chapter X - Deception

A stunned silence spread over the kitchen like smoke over a cauldron. The first to notice Phoebe had been Cole, who was leaning in the corner of two counters. He had stopped mid sentence, leaving Piper and Paige to look up from their position bent over the cauldron. Now, all eyes were on Phoebe, and Cole's mouth was dropped a few centimetres.

She sauntered up to them with her hands in her pockets and a smile on her face.

"Hey guys," she said sweetly, grinning. She peered over to the cauldron. "I'm guessing that's not house cooking. Who we killing this time?"

Piper and Paige exchanged a look said they were thinking the same thing: 'What the hell is going on?'

"Phoebe...?" Cole said cautiously, standing up from the counter.

"Yeah?"

"Are you... okay...?"

Phoebe frowned, and looked at each of them. She laughed inwardly. Idiots – they had no idea.

"Yeah... Why, shouldn't I be?" She asked, adding a somewhat confused tone to her voice.

"Considering the last time we saw you, you were evil, no," Piper said sharply, her brows furrowing over her eyes.

Phoebe shook her head and giggled.

"Evil? What are you guys talking about?"

Cole stepped around the counter and over to her. Phoebe backed up slightly.

"Not too close," she warned, though still cheerily. "I'm not sure what I think of you yet."

He sighed.

"Phoebe, you shimmered out of my arms. You begged me for help. You were completely submerged in evil. Are you seriously telling me you don't remember anything?"

Phoebe's tone became serious, and a worried look extended across her face.

"Seriously. I just woke up from a nap."

"Like hell," Piper snapped, walking beside Cole. There was something definitely fishy going on. Whatever was in their house certainly looked, walked and talked like Phoebe - but something was amiss.

"Easy," Paige calmed, putting a hand out to her sister. But she herself was dubious. People, especially witches, did not simply turn evil and not remember it.

And idea struck Phoebe like lightning, and she had to stop herself from grinning.

"Look," she said, her voice mingled with innocence and worry. Her eyes passed over each of the people as she spoke. "The book will prove I'm not evil. Honestly."

"Yeah, well, it's not the best way to tell right now," Piper said bitterly, beginning to tidy away the mess in the kitchen. Cole arched an eyebrow, and Phoebe looked quizzically around.

"Why not?"

"Because," Piper sighed, leaning over the sink. "It doesn't seem to recognise _any_ of us at the moment. Paige and I can't touch it."

"Or me," Cole piped up.

Piper shot him a 'you couldn't touch it in the first place' look, and he shrugged.

_Excellent_, Phoebe thought to herself, trying to conceal her amusement. _If the book is evil too, I'll have no problem using it in the Underworld_. But, nonetheless, she gasped - though she was wrong to think that she was the only one to pick up on her mocking tone.

"Are you serious? Why can't we touch it?"

"Trying to figure that out now, actually," Paige offered, glancing over towards the patio where it had been. Phoebe followed her gaze, and could see that the Book had crashed through the window. She grinned.

"Excellent," she giggled out loud.

Cole couldn't take it. She was definitely not herself. He had been watching her for the past two years, in love with her for even longer, and he was pretty good at noticing her little quirks. And there was something definitely wrong. He coughed slightly, stepped forward, and took her forearm.

"Hey!" Phoebe snapped and wrenched her arm out of his grip. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Confirming my suspicions," he said darkly, eying her over. "Piper, Paige, get to the Book."

"But we can't - " Piper began.

"Now!" Cole shouted, not taking his eyes off of Phoebe. But it was too late. She smirked, and was faster than any of them. Getting a hold of her new powers, she disappeared out of the kitchen just as Piper and Paige rushed into the patio. The three of them appeared at the broken window just in time to see Phoebe shimmer up to the Book. She bent down and casually picked it up. It made no reaction to her touch as it had with the others.

"No!" Cole cried, and instinctively held out his hand to summon an energy ball. He could have kicked himself when he remembered that he had no powers anymore.

"Book of Shadows!" Paige shouted, holding her hands out. But Phoebe looked at her malevolently, her thin, cruel mouth spreading into a grin. Her peaceful green eyes flashed black.

"Mine now," she said coolly, and the Book didn't move.

"Piper, freeze her!" Paige yelled desperately. But as Piper brought her hands up in a frantic attempt to keep the Book from evil, Phoebe winked, and then dissolved out of view like ripples in water. And, as quickly as she had been there, she was gone.

Cole punched the wall in frustration, and then wished he hadn't. His hand began to throb painfully, and he retracted it. Damn this mortality - it would be the death of him.

"Aw, crap," Paige swore pathetically. "Now what?"

Piper, in a rage deeper and darker than blood, wheeled around and marched off to the kitchen.

"Now, we finish this damn potion!" she yelled, beginning to throw ingredients angrily into the saucepan once again. How could she have been so stupid? She _knew_ that something wasn't right - Phoebe had been far too chipper. And to find out that it was all a ploy to get the Book... Piper knew that her sister was truly evil when she chose power over family. Paige and Cole joined her simultaneously.

"I'm not sure if simply 'finding' her will help anymore," Cole sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "You saw her. She'd do anything for power, now. Her main objective is to probably turn you guys evil, and then take over the Underworld."

"She doesn't have the power to do that, does she?" Paige queried, turning to look at Cole. He shook his head, not being able to give a definite answer.

"Possibly. It's difficult to tell. But she has the Book now, and there's no telling what she can do."

A clatter from the counter alerted both of them out of their conversation. Piper was stood, her head bent down and her arms stretched down on the surface. She was shaking and her head was bowed so they couldn't see her face.

"Stop it," she said bitterly, her voice cracking. Paige looked at Cole worriedly. She didn't have to ask what to stop, as Piper answered for her. "Stop talking about Phoebe as if she's just another demon, damn it. She's under a spell, and we can fix it. I just need to finish this potion, and to do that, I need _quiet_."

Her voice was venomous and hushed, and she was quite clearly finding it very difficult to cope. Paige edged over to her side, and put a comforting hand on her back. She rested her chin on her shoulder, but Piper didn't look up. If she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the kitchen floor, then she wouldn't have to watch anything else happen to her sisters. She wouldn't have to admit to losing another sister, and she wouldn't have to admit to being a failure. Life would continue around her as normal, and everything would be all right.

"Honey, to save Phoebe, we're going to need a lot more than a detection potion," Paige cooed softly. She could feel Piper shake beneath her touch.

"It's a start," Piper said bitterly. "And I don't see anyone else coming up with any better ideas."

Cole refrained from correcting that it was his idea to begin with. Though, he had to admit, the potion he thought up whilst he was trapped in the void was seemingly useless now. It wasn't enough just to find Phoebe. They had to, somehow, bring her back to Good. It was going to be tricky. The last time she had been evil, she had been under the influence of her unborn child. He felt a pang of guilt as he remembered that it was his child, his evil, his nature, that had thrown her into evil. He doubted very much if she was under any influence now - which meant that somewhere along the line, she must have _chosen_ to be evil. Which just made no sense.

"It just doesn't make _sense_," Piper whined, straightening up, as if she could read Cole's thoughts. Her eyes were red and her mascara had smudged. Cole couldn't help feeling sorry for her, though he tried very hard not to think about it. Two broken hearts would not help anyone. But, gradually, an idea dawned on him.

"There's a missing link somewhere," he said thoughtfully. Paige looked at him, whilst Piper continued at the saucepan.

"Well...?"

Her voice was blunt and cold, but she wanted to hear his idea nonetheless. Cole paced as he walked, as if his idea was somehow connected with movement.

"Well, don't you think it's a little too much of a coincidence that just as I show up, Phoebe turns evil? I mean, for one thing, the fact that I was even moved from the cosmic void shows a big change in something magical. I doubt very much if one of the Elders would take me out of there for no reason, and - "

"What did you say?" Piper interrupted, suddenly looking up from the steaming pot. Cole walked towards her slowly, and Paige crossed her arms. It sounded like a load of shots in the dark to her. Though, to be fair, they didn't have much else.

"That it's too much of a coincidence?" Cole answered, his thick brows wrinkling together in a frown. Piper shook her head.

"No, not that. About the Elders."

"Well, I just assumed that the guy was an Elder," Cole shrugged. "I mean, who else would have the power to bring me back to life, essentially?"

"Not many..." Piper said wistfully. "But you're right. Now you mention, it does seem a little... odd..."

Cole then had to admit something which he really did not want to admit.

"Then maybe - on some level - my return really did make Phoebe evil. Maybe something happened, and seeing me again just threw her over the edge..."

"No," Paige finished for him. Both Cole and Piper looked at her in surprise. "It wasn't you, Cole. I think, if anything, your arrival probably helped her."

"That doesn't make sense," he said gruffly. Paige shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not. But don't blame yourself. Right now, there's only one person who can give us answers."

Piper caught her eye, and instantly knew what she meant. Cole looked between them, confused.

"Why do I have the feeling we're about to break some terrible, unwritten rule...?" he asked casually, frowning. Piper smiled.

"Oh, come on now Cole. We've learned to trust you. Can't you trust us?"

Her tone was coated in overwhelming sweetness, and she was smiling knowingly to Paige. The two of them began walking off towards the stairs up to the attic. Cole followed like a lost puppy.

"What's going on?" he called after them. There was no answer, and he tilted his head, trying to think of what they meant. He shook his head. _I'll never understand sisters,_ he thought. He followed them up to the attic a few minutes later, where Piper was scribbling something on a piece of paper and Paige was leaning over her shoulder, offering advice.

"No, Piper, that would be better there," she said, pointing to the paper.

"Paige, I know what I'm doing."

"No, but, see? It rhymes better that way..."

They both looked up as they heard the heavy step of Cole's boots on the floor. He stood in the frame and crossed his arms. The sisters exchanged the same cheeky look, and Cole began to feel a familiar feeling of dread rising in his stomach.

"What?" he questioned as Piper rose from the seat and started towards him. He looked frantically from one sister to the other, and frowned with worry. "_What?_"

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Cole stood with his arms folded and a bored look upon his face. Five candles were places around him at the points of a pentagram, and Paige and Piper stood at the now empty podium. It was beginning to grow dark outside, not helped by the menacing rain clouds. Paige and Piper were bickering, as usual. Though, Cole mused, it was definitely better than having a poor, defeated Piper as he had seen in the kitchen. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be doing. All he knew was what the sisters had told him.

"Can we get this over with?" he sighed irritably, rolling his eyes. Sisters. Can't live with them - can't kill them.

"Oh hush up," Piper snapped, then returned to her conversation with Paige. "Are you sure this is going to work? I don't really want to end up with another pile of ash on the floor."

"Hey!" Cole protested. The sisters ignored him.

"It should," Paige replied, taking a moment or two to think about it. "It isn't a power of three spell - obviously - but it should get us up There long enough to drag Leo back down."

"And why do _I _have to go up there, again?" Cole asked, for what must have been at least the twelfth time.

"Because," Piper snapped by way of answer. Paige rolled her eyes.

"We've told you, Cole. You're non-magical now."

_Yeah, no need to rub it in_, he thought bitterly.

"And...?" He questioned, sighing.

"And the Elders won't be able to just 'send us back down' if we bring you with us. They'll realise that this isn't just a usual call, and that we need Leo right now."

"I don't know what the hell they're playing at," Piper said, flapping her arms to her side in frustration. "Taking away my husband like this, just when we need him the most."

"I still don't understand - "

"Just stand there while we read, okay?" Piper interrupted. Paige nodded in agreement. Cole was going to protest, but thought better of it.

"It's nothing like enough to get us up There for long. But it should work," Paige said, glancing at the paper one last time.

"Either that, or we'll be exploded into a million pieces," Piper added cheerily.

"Gee, I can't wait," Cole replied, with a sarcastic tone layered in his voice. But, he remained where he was nonetheless. What else could he do other than trust the sisters? He had thought it a little odd that the Elders seemed to have taken Leo without any explanation, and he was as keen as anyone to get Phoebe back.

Paige looked to Piper for reassurance one last time. It may not have been any Power of Three spell, but it would hopefully by powerful enough; they didn't really _have_ the Power of Three to give it that extra kick anyway.

"And you're sure this will work?" Cole asked apprehensively, putting a large hand to his forehead.

"Well, no," Paige admitted, avoiding his eye contact. "But it's the best shot we have at getting Phoebe back."

Cole nodded in agreement. For Phoebe.

"Ready when you are, then."

The girls walked over to join Cole in the circle of candles. They all peered at the piece of paper resting delicately in Piper's hands. Cole tried not to imagine how ridiculous this felt. Usually when he was involved with a spell, he was on the receiving end of it, and it usually finished with him being surrounded painfully in flames and vanquished to another dimension. It felt good to actually help them for a change. Simultaneously, the three of them read from the paper.

_**An angel now, we seek to find**_

_**Before he left his world behind;**_

_**Beyond the powers of time and space**_

_**His spirit lurks which now we chase.**_

_**Take seekers three to a place that's new**_

_**To tell us what we wish we knew.**_

_Cheesy as hell,_ Cole thought when they'd finished reading. But he didn't have time to think long. White orbs began to collect around the three of them, as had happened when Piper had called Paige earlier that day – to when this entire mess began. He closed his eyes with disorientation, and was more than a little relieved when he felt a hand on his upper arm. Within seconds, the sickness in his gut stopped, and he felt safe enough to open his eyes.

They were standing in what Cole could only assume to be the Upperworld. Wisps of clouds and smoke floated around them calmly, and everywhere he looked, Cole could see shapes and figures drifting through the clouds. There were marble-white pillars placed haphazardly around, and seemed to provide not other purpose other than to look good. But there was not sign of Leo anywhere.

Piper looked around herself cheerily, a grin spreading across her face. She was almost surprised that it worked, and that they weren't lying in some God forsaken ditch in the middle of nowhere.

"Well, that seemed to work well," she said brightly.

"Yeah, except, I have no idea where we are," Paige answered awkwardly, looking around at the wandering figures. Nobody seemed to notice the unlikely trio's presence. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just have summoned Leo in the first place?"

Piper shook her head, and started to walk forward. There was something uncanny at walking on mist and not falling straight through.

"No, it wouldn't have worked. I've tried it before. Besides, time moves differently up here. It would be very difficult to time it right anyway."

Paige looked confused.

"When did you summon him?"

Piper shot her a look that quite clearly said, _it's none of your business_.

Cole spotted something in the distance, between a gap in a thick of clouds, and thought he had better use the opportunity as an excuse to stop the two sisters from bickering further.

"Look," he said quietly, extending a long arm to point between them. The girls followed his hand. He was pointing to two figures who were circling what seemed to be a very large birdbath. It was rounded, white marble – the same substance that the pillars were made out of – and, though they couldn't see it from there, it was filled with a beautiful shimmering liquid. The two figures around it, however, seemed completely different. One wore a long, white robe with golden streaks, and a hood that shadowed the best of his face. The other was wearing jeans and a chequered blue and white shirt, with the top two buttons undone.

"That's him all right," Piper said shortly, and began walking defiantly towards them. Paige and Cole exchanged only a brief glance before following in her wake. It hadn't exactly been Cole's plan to just march up to Leo and drag him down: such actions in the Upperworld could never have good consequences. But he was fired up nonetheless.

Leo only wished he had seen Piper coming. He might have been able to ready himself for her wrath, to prepare for her harsh words and shrieks. He might have had time to calm her, and to explain exactly what was going on. As it was, he didn't have enough time to react, so merely stood as she bellowed at him.

"Leo Wyatt-Halliwell!" she shrieked, waving her hands in the air. He widened his eyes, only slightly fearful that she might end up blowing something up. "Why the hell haven't you been answering my calls? What the hell's going on!"

"Leo, I – " the Elder beside him began to protest, but he was cut short when Piper rounded on him, her eyes growing beady and narrow.

"You!" she cried, pointing a finger forward like an angry mother to a child. "You stay out of this! Unless you want to explain to me just _why_ you've kept my husband from returning to me."

"Piper, calm down," Paige said calmly, taking her sister by the arm. Cole backed off slightly, not wishing to become – as Piper had said – another pile of ash on the floor. He pocketed his hands, his body language saying exactly what he was thinking. Leo glanced at him guiltily, but then, for some reason, looked away.

"Leo can't exactly tell us what's going on if you've bitten his head off," Paige continued. Piper seemed to take her advice, for she shut her mouth. But she crossed her arms across her chest and pursed her mouth.

"Fine," she said, eyeing the Elder suspiciously beside him. "Talk."

She raised a dubious eyebrow as she watched her husband glance to the Elder beside him.

"Well?" she said, shifting her eyes from one guilty party to the other. It was very much like trying to get to the bottom of an argument that none of them had been involved in.

"Piper, we can't really talk up here," Leo said at last, stepping to her side and attempting to put a comforting hand on her arm. She snatched it away.

"They have the cheek to give you your powers back, and then to take you away from us? _I don't think so_! Explanations, people!"

"Piper, it was for the best," The Elder offered, his voice smooth and silky. "But speaking of the best, you three really should not be up here. You've no idea what rules you're breaking the rules just by presenting yourselves here. You need to be down on earth."

"Don't you tell me what to do!" Piper cried incredulously, as if he didn't have the right to speak to her like that.

Leo frowned for a moment, then offered his own thoughts, stepping between Piper and the Elder as she did so.

"You need to explain to them what's going on," he said brusquely, his eyes held firmly on his counsel. "They don't understand, and they won't until you – or I – tell them. I understand the dangers, but you need to let me orb back down with the sisters. Let me help them. You've warned me... and I'll be careful. But you can't stand in the way of this anymore."

The Elder stood back, his face slightly appalled. Then he sighed heavily, shrugged his shoulders, and nodded.

"Very well, Leo. I suppose you... know what you're doing. I hope you understand the threat this means, though."

Leo nodded thankfully, then turned back to Piper and Paige. He didn't know which looked scared him more: Piper's obvious rage, written like text all over her face, or Paige's judgemental sneer. He could tell that he was in for a treat when he got them back to the manor.

"You two come with me. I can explain everything to you, and then we'll be able to come up with a plan to get Phoebe back – "

"You don't even have a _plan_?" Piper yelled, almost mockingly.

Leo half laughed, and tried to compose himself.

"Well, yes – no – you'll see. Just let me explain."

Piper looked like she was about to protest, but Leo very gently touched her hand with his.

"Trust me," he added, and gave her one of his peaceful smiles. She nodded, reluctantly.

"All right," she agreed sharply. "But this had better be good."

She took Paige's arm in her own, and they prepared to leave. Cole – who for the time being had been standing away, feeling that none of this had much to do with him – suddenly spoke. He took his hand out of his pocket and raised it, palm up, as if he were surrendering.

"And what about me?" he asked, almost sarcastically. Leo glanced towards the Elder, who nodded.

"You shall be staying here," The Elder explained, walking around the marble dish and over to Cole's sighed. An instant awkwardness arose in Cole's insides, though his mind screamed questions. There was something about this guy that seemed oddly familiar, and he recognised the feeling of foreboding.

"Why...?" He questioned eventually, eying the Elder up and down. _Poor Leo,_ he thought, hiding a quick smirk. _Having to deal with this lot for the best part of his life. At least demons have a sense of style._

"Yes, why does our former brother-in-law, not to mention ex-demon, get to stay up here in la-la land?" Piper retorted, wrinkling her nose slightly. Leo looked away in disgust at Piper's crudeness. The Elder pretended not to hear her comment, but answered Cole's question none-the-less.

"You don't think your escape from limbo has gone unnoticed, do you?" he asked accusingly. "We have much to talk about how you actually managed it."

"That's something we'd _all_ like to know," Paige chimed in. The Elder seemed to snap out of a trance at her speech, and jerked his head towards the trio.

"Go, then," he said softly, putting his hand out. "Leo – I wish you the best of luck. Remember, any... trouble... and you come straight back."

Leo nodded in agreement, and the three of them disappeared into a merging swirl of bright, blue-white lights. With the distraction gone, the Elder turned back to the mortal standing before him. He was pathetically weak without his powers – the Elder could sense it.

"So, you wanted to talk?" Cole said shortly, keeping his mouth as tight as he could. He didn't trust the Elders one bit. They had always had it in for him, and being left alone with one was not exactly his idea of fun.

"Not exactly," replied the Elder, though all warmth from his voice was gone. He lifted his hand to his hood, and brought it down to rest on his shoulders. Cole's eyes narrowed instantly, and he stepped backwards.

"I know you," he said gruffly, finally recognising the feeling that had been bothering him for the past few minutes. The Elder smiled, pleased. But there was definitely no warmth in his look anymore.

"Good to see that even after having your memory wiped, you still remember an old face."

"Shut up," Cole spat, not quite knowing what to do. The Elder tutted in mock dismay.

"Why, Mr Turner, I thought I'd done you a _favour_."

"Favour my ass," Cole retorted, taking a step forward and inching his face closer to the Elder. His deep features were creasing with rage and, very slightly, fear. "I'd hardly call torturing me with images I couldn't have a 'favour'."

The Elder shrugged.

"We all see things diff – "

"No," Cole said softly, his teeth gritted. "No more riddles. Just tell me how the _hell_ you managed to get me out of limbo."

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_Ok, I know this is a little confusing for everyone. I wasn't kidding when I said I was a slow starter. You'll just have to take my word that this all makes sense in the end. Please don't forget that a comment, big or small, is highly appreciated - obviously, everyone loves reviews, but as a first fic, it's sort of useful to know where the ups and downs of my writings are. So, if you can, drop me a line, and I'll try to update soon._


	11. The Good in Us All

_**A/N**: This chapter jumps around a bit, and I apologise for that. I've had some rather ongoing, long chapters previously, so I thought I'd try and break this one up a little. But, before I get onto it, I would just like to give my __sincerest thanks to **Gilluin**, for reminding me that I'm writing this fanfiction for myself and not the reviewers, my friends, or anyone else. Thank you for being my own little piece of inspiration (and for appreciating my typos) :)_

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Chapter XI – The good in us all

Mackenzie was livid. His plan was foiled. He had been cast aside, as if he and his powers meant nothing. _Well,_ he thought bitterly, _I'll show her_. It had been _him_ who had turned her to the dark side – or at the very least, given her the push at the beginning that she had needed. It had been _he_ who had taken a huge risk with his life with all their lives. It was his own foolish nature that resulted in him walking around the Underworld. He was an upper level demon, was he not? So why the hell couldn't he handle one pissy little witch?

He stopped pacing and considered his question to himself. He laughed to himself at his own stupidity. _Because_, he reminded himself, biting his own tongue, _She's not a witch anymore. She's a warlock. And there's a way we deal with unwanted warlocks..._

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Elsewhere, Phoebe was doing a little pacing of her own. She had left the dankness of the cave, after dismissing Mack as if he were no more than another flaw in her plan. She was now stood in a chamber, empty for the moment, with the Book of Shadows resting peacefully on a stack of dark stones. She had been looking through it to find not only something that she knew her sisters wouldn't be able to beat without the Power of Three, but something so devastating that it would let her take over the Underworld and, eventually, bring her wrath up to the world itself. She would show them what she was really made of.

But, first things first. She could hardly even dream of taking over the Underworld, or even defeating her sisters, until she had come up with a plan to do so. All she knew was that her answer lay in the Book of Shadows.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a presence at the opening to the chamber. She whipped around, her eyes narrowed. But there was nobody in sight. Her eyes darted from the open archway, made of stones carved with runes, to the Book on its own little stack.

"You may as well show yourself," she said into open air, her voice cold. Nothing happened. She walked over to the Book defensively, her back to it, as if she were trying to protect it.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a deep, booming voice sounded. It sounded like it had been carried by a wind.

"What are you doing here, Charmed One?"

Phoebe laughed, a cold, high laugh. It was so unnatural to her own, usual self that had Piper or Paige heard it, they wouldn't have thought it was their sister.

"You obviously have no idea who you're talking to," she chuckled, her body relaxing. "Show yourself. Maybe we can be of some assistance to each other."

The image of a demon rippled a few feet in front of her. His black face was etched with white markings – possibly ancient runes. His lips were thick and full, and his eyes a surprising bright blue. He stood with his arms folded flat across his broad chest, and he was standing back as if trying to see the witch in one full sweep of his look. His trousers and black t-shirt were ripped, as if he had just come back from battle. He didn't look pleased, by any means: but he didn't look as if he was going to kill her either.

"I see I misjudged you," he said at last, his eyes narrowing for a brief second. "Forgive me. Looks can be… deceiving."

"So I've heard. What do you want?"

"At first," the demon replied slowly, taking a few steps forward but not uncrossing his arms, "To kill you. But I see the consequences of that would far outweigh the profits."

His eyes darted to the Book of Shadows lying behind Phoebe. Her mouth thinned.

"I see you have large ideas," he said icily. Phoebe couldn't tell if he was jealous or wary. "Strange, for such a little witch."

"I am no witch," Phoebe almost spat, though reminded herself that losing her temper with a mere demon would be no way to control the Underworld. The demon chuckled, a deep, menacing growl that began in his stomach and ended in his eyes. He took another step forward, now only a foot or two away from where Phoebe stood. For some reason, her muscles tensed.

"What happened to you?" he asked slyly.

"It's really none of your business."

"Ah," the demon said silkily, edging forward. His eyes were level with hers, and the sparkled. "But it is. I'm a bounty hunter, you see. I seek out demons and warlocks to kill where I see necessary. And your head has a high price on it."

Phoebe shifted closer towards the book, her anger rising. How dare he? Did he really think he could take on a Charmed One? Part of her, the old part, screamed at her to run away. But she wouldn't. It was time to make a stand and to prove to everyone – demons, witches and the like – that she was set to stay.

"I'll tell you what," she said, finding her ground and stepping forward. "You go to your superiors, whoever they are, and tell them that I'm far more useful to them alive than dead. Destroying the Charmed Ones has always been your motivation and your goal; but now, I've done it for you. So you go and 'do' whatever it is you do, elsewhere, and I might just let you live."

Her eyes flashed maliciously.

"Bold words for a newbie," the demon growled, but he stepped back slightly. He unfolded his arms, revealing further rips and gashes in his t-shirt.

"I'm a quick study," Phoebe quipped. The demon raised a thick, black eyebrow. He considered the warlock for a moment, her hair gathered in a mess and her clothes rumpled. He then nodded.

"I'll be back," he said quietly, and then flickered out, his body flashing slowly with the surroundings.

Phoebe let out a drawn sigh. That was difficult to talk her way out of. She couldn't simply go about making a fool of herself like that, and she scolded herself for it. She needed to bide her time and gain the support of fellow demons. If she was going to be successful, that was. But, for the moment at least, she tried to put all nagging thoughts of just who had sent a bounty hunter after her, and turned back to the Book of Shadows.

As she leafed through it carefully, she suddenly came across a page that she had not seen before; perhaps a recent edition due to the Book's new change. The top of the page read, '_To bind a demon_'. As her eyes scanned the parchment-like page, she saw that this was nothing like binding powers, as witches had used. This was much more. The corners of her mouth flicked up, and she had to try not to let out a laugh of pleasure. This would certainly heat things up for her sisters.

The page described how it was possible to 'merge' two or more demons together, combining their powers, their minds and their ability. You could combine tens of hundreds of demons all together, creating what would appear to be some sort of 'super demon'. An invincible, unstoppable killing force, whose main objective was to obey the summoner's bidding.

Phoebe's face cracked into a wide smile, her eyes lighting up with the fire of excitement.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting," she laughed as she bent over the page, reading through the requirements of the complicated ritual. "Very interesting indeed."

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"I did as you asked," the bounty hunter growled to his superior a few moments later. "And that's how she replied."

"Good," drawled the voice of Mackenzie, and he leant back in his seat. He brought a thoughtful hand up to his chin, a smile igniting behind it. So, the witch was useful after all.

"The Book of shadows, you say?" he asked eventually, casting a glance back down to the hunter he had hired. He merely nodded. Mack could barely contain his excitement. The Book of Shadows itself, legendary amongst demons, was sitting, freely in the Underworld, there for the taking. The temptation was almost enough to make him shimmer to it right then and there.

But he needed to wait. He doubted very much if it were possible to just walk up and take it, especially if Phoebe was keeping as close an eye on it as the bounty hunter had said. But his plan, so far, had been working. The witch was evil. She was embracing it with courage and hunger. She had already started using her powers. And hopefully, her sisters wouldn't be too far behind her. Either that, or she would dispose of them – they always held her back, and Mack hoped that she knew it.

It had been easy enough to trick that damned Elder into releasing Cole from the void and planting him back into reality. Blackmail always worked a treat, especially with those on the side of good. Possibly a risky business if Cole actually showed up again, though. But, with no memory or recollection of what was going on, the chances of that were pretty slim. And he couldn't risk him helping the sisters out for a second time.

Mack smiled wryly to himself. In a way, it was Cole he had to _thank_ for all of this. Had the little do-gooder, obsessed with his witch, not been responsible for the thorn demons to attack the eldest sister, or been the one to help the demon Drake to become mortal, the entire of this shift in the balance of power wouldn't have been possible.

As a watcher of the Charmed Ones for many years now, studying their every move and every pattern, it had been lucky that Mack had heard Piper muttering about it under her breath. Cole's own foolish, selfish needs and wants to protect the sisters had caused more problems for them than he could have ever guessed. And Mack was thankful for this.

"Stupid demon," he chuckled quietly. "He'll always be giving Evil the upper hand, whether he wants to or not."

"Who?" the bounty hunter asked quizzically. Mack's eyes shot up; he had forgotten that the hunter was still there.

"No one of importance," he said, smiling. "Go. Keep an eye on our little warlock. Tell her that I would very much like to see her, to discuss plans for the future. Perhaps she won't be as likely to cast me aside when she learns I have some valuable information on her sisters."

The bounty hunter nodded, and was gone. He couldn't help thinking, as he flickered from one place to another, how incredibly ridiculous this entire ordeal seemed to be.

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Paige sat dejectedly onto the couch and heaved a sigh. The Book was gone. Her sister was gone. And Piper and Leo were arguing.

"They just can't do that!" Piper exclaimed, her hands coming up in an almost, but not quite, exploding motion. Leo physically flinched.

"Piper, they have to," he reasoned, putting a hand out as if the action would calm his wife. "He's the only one who can save – "

"Don't say it," Piper snapped back, her finger waving. "Don't say he's the only one who can save her. There has to be another way. Do you remember the _last_ time we put her life in his hands?"

Leo's memory shot back to the alternate reality Cole had created two years ago, where Paige had been wiped form existence. His face didn't show the dismay he was feeling.

"_We_ didn't. He took matters into his own hands that time. And it was a long time ago; I think we should probably give him some credit for learning something from it."

"Old habits," Piper muttered.

Leo sighed and cocked his head to one side.

"That's not fair," he complained. "I think he's proved – in the past, if nothing else – that he can change."

"Oh, I'm so pleased he decided to stop trying to kill us!" Piper retorted sarcastically. "Why don't I just put everything into his control and wait for it to come back and bite me in the ass? Oh, wait..."

Leo rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous.

"It's not even up to you."

Piper's eyes flashed him an angry look. Husband or no, he could be a real dictator sometimes.

"Well, it shouldn't be up to them either. They can't just pretend like his return is something to celebrate. Shouldn't he be put back into limbo as soon as possible?"

"It's not that simple. You can't simply 'put him back' as if he were a plate from a cupboard."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because that's not how it works!" Leo cried, exasperated. He and his voice were beginning to lose patience. "You, of all people, know that. All magic has consequences, and simply putting him back where he came from isn't the answer. And," he added hastily, seeing that Piper was about to interrupt, "Even if it were, the repercussions of doing so would have a tremendous blow to the magical community. It would be like trying to fit an oversized penny down the neck of the bottle – eventually, the bottle will just smash, leaving the world in shattered pieces with nobody there to clean them up."

Piper's face twisted into an angry glare.

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

Leo sighed heavily.

"It's a metaphor..."

"I know that," Piper snapped, folding her arms. Silence began to emerge between them like a growing cloud of smoke. Paige glanced up from the sofa, her eyes darting from one person to the other.

"So... what do we do?" she asked timidly.

"We wait," Leo replied, ignoring Piper's tutting. She stuck her tongue in her cheek and shook her head in disbelief.

"If they're anything as efficient with him as they are with you, we'll be waiting for centauries," Piper quipped, not looking at her husband.

"Okay," Paige said half-brightly, getting up from the couch. "I'm just going to... go make coffee, or soup, or... something. Leave you guys to it."

Leo waited until she had left the living room until he spoke again. His voice was hushed, as if he didn't want anyone but Piper to hear. She was turned away from him, but he knew she could hear him.

"I know this isn't how you would have wanted it..." he said slowly, edging towards her. She didn't move when she felt him standing just behind her back, but she didn't look at him either. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"It's for the best. I wouldn't let anything happen that would put any of you in danger."

Piper turned her head sideways, fighting back the mountainous tears welling in her eyes.

"You already have," she replied sadly.

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"_I had some help," The Elder replied._

"_What kind of 'help'?"_

"_You wouldn't understand. Actually, considering your background, perhaps you would. But it matters not. I did you a favour."_

"_Releasing me from prison was a favour, yes," Cole replied, feeling himself tense. "But I was there for a reason. It wasn't your right to decide I had to leave, or your right to show me the life Phoebe and I could have had if I hadn't have 'thrown it all away', as you put it."_

_The Elder paused._

"_Yes. I'm sorry. I was not entirely under my own influence. For that, I apologise."_

"_You risked everything to get me out of there. The balance of power, the 'grand design'. It's all warped thanks to a few moments of your selfishness and weakness. If what you've told me is true, that is."_

"_It doesn't change anything. What's happened has happened. I may not be proud of it, but I had no choice. And now I need something from you. We all do. You have to help."_

_Cole's eyes narrowed and his brain flashed a warning into his head. It told him not to trust this man. And then, the memory faded._

Cole and the Elder were locked in a fixed stare, their eyes unmoving from each other's. They were stood a few feet away from each other, with Cole trying to back away slowly. The Elder stood with his hands on the rim of the great, marble dish, and he was leaning forward menacingly.

"You don't trust me, I take it?"

"How did you guess," Cole scoffed, finally breaking their eye contact and casting a quick glance to the shimmering liquid in the bowl. He jerked his head towards it. "Planning to drown me?"

The Elder chuckled.

"Cole, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now."

Cole's shoulders relaxed, if only a little. He felt so damned helpless, it was crippling. He was left completely alone in a world that was unfamiliar to him at best. His instincts were telling him to run, to cry out for help, to attack; anything that would involve quick departure back down to earth. But something inside him, the hint of curiosity that had been the cause of many of his troubles, kept him firmly rooted to the spot.

"So, what _do_ you want?" he asked instead. His voice was irritable and tired. It had been a long day. "I can see why you took me out of limbo – to an extent – but what now? Come to send me back?"

The Elder shook his head, with almost a hint of sadness.

"As much as I'd like that to be my course of action," he said slowly, straightening up from the bowl, "No. Believe it or not, now we need your help."

Cole stumbled back slightly.

"_My_ help?" he said, poking his own finger to his chest. "Why the hell would you want my help?"

The Elder frowned at Cole's profanity. Clearly, whatever or whoever had the decision of 'fate' – and he should know – had a very ironic sense of humour. How an ex-demon was supposed to be the saviour of the human race, he didn't know. But he might be able to help.

"Because you're the only one who can – " he began, then stopped. Was it safe to tell him? Cole shot him a dark look, almost as dark as when the source had possessed him.

"What are you hiding, Elder?" he growled, his voice dangerously low. The Elder almost shuddered.

"First of all, my name is Alexander. Use it," he replied coldly. "Second of all, as far as I know, you're the only one who can save Phoebe and her sisters from turning evil."

Cole snorted.

"You've got to be kidding," he half laughed, shaking his head. "No matter whatever anyone says, I'm no guardian angel. My time with Phoebe has taught me that, if nothing else."

"It doesn't change what I've seen."

"What you've seen?" Cole demanded, frowning and daring to take a few steps forward. "And just what might that be?"

"An Elder never reveals what he has seen."

Cole smiled as he remembered the quote about magician's secrets, and wondered if they were really basically the same. Illusions drawn out to amaze and astound an unsuspecting audience. Alexander continued before Cole could speak.

"Least of all to a mortal."

"If I'm so useless," Cole snapped, a little stung, "Then send me back to earth. After all, I suppose a 'mortal' cannot aid you in the ways you have... 'seen'..."

"That's true," Alexander agreed, bowing his head. "But I _can_ show you some things. Step here beside me. You'll soon understand."

He indicated to the dish of shimmering water. Cole hesitated. Brief but prominent images of being drowned in a few inches of sparkling water bounced into his head. But he shook them off, figuring that his paranoia was redundant.

"And then you'll send me back?" he asked cautiously, nearing the water's edge.

"To a certain extent," Alexander mumbled. Cole arched a thick eyebrow, but peered over the edge of the water nonetheless. Looking back up at him he could see his own, confused face. He smiled, if only for a second, at how the years had changed him. His face was smiling and pure, while his eyes were alight with fresh enthusiasm. There was a look about him that he had only seen once, in between his transition from 'the great Belthazor' to 'The Source of All Evil'. He smiled wryly. How time could change a man...

"What do you see?" Alexander asked, craning his neck slightly to look, not at the water, but at Cole's expression. Cole's smile vanished, and he sighed. No matter how he looked or felt now, he could never erase the past. He could never change it. He could never make up for what he had done. And he'd learned that the hard way.

"Not much," he admitted, straightening up again. It was true; the man who had been staring back at him was a shadow of the man he could have been. And he'd thrown it all away. For nothing, it would seem.

The Elder smiled, seemingly having no idea of the conflicts arising in Cole's head.

"I'm not surprised. You are, after all – "

" – only a mortal," Cole finished for him, his eyes rolling. He shrugged his heavy shoulders, and then shook his head. "Yes, I know. I've caught on. For once, stop dodging the question and just tell me what the hell you want from me and how I can help."

"All right. If you want the answer with no explanation, I'll tell you."

Cole was shocked. It usually took more than an abrupt word or two to get something useful out of the Elders. He crossed his arms, indicating for Alexander continued. The Elder ruffled his cloak, as an owl might ruffle its feathers.

"Cole," he addressed, his voice and face sharing the same stern hint. "The other Elders and I have come to a unanimous agreement. To be quite honest, the only way you can save the sisters from this Evil that will probably destroy them, is to embrace a side of you that's been hidden away for centauries."

"My human side?" Cole asked instinctively. It was, after all, the part of him that had fought to stay alive for the past six or seven years.

"Not quite," Alexander replied, clearing his throat. "A little more intense than that. We want to make you a whitelighter."


	12. The Fourth and the Fearless

Chapter XII - The Fourth and the Fearless

"If this is going to work, we need to find a way of working together. As equals. Agreed?"

Mack and Phoebe were locked in a stare to the death, their mouths hard and thin, their eyes each as untrusting as their counterpart's. He had offered her a seat not far away from his own, and between them, the Book of Shadows lay, open on the '_to bind a demon_' page. Mackenzie sat back and steepled his fingers, his brows furrowing into a thoughtful position above his pale eyes.

"Agreed," he decided, his shoulders relaxing.

"That means no more sending bounty hunters after me," Phoebe replied, but she was smiling. Mack laughed, a dry, shallow laugh. It was the sort of laugh that showed quite obviously that he wasn't amused in the slightest.

"No, no," he chuckled. "I think I'd quite like to keep an eye on you myself, anyway. See what you get up to when my back's turned."

Phoebe smiled. Perhaps working with this demon would be beneficial after all. He could certainly teach her the valuable things she needed to know, and then with that she could continue as she planned. She had not, of course, let Mackenzie in on her entire plan - that would have been foolish. But she had given him something to bite on, to keep him interested enough to want to keep her alive. She doubted very much if he was capable of wielding the Book's powers, so without her, he was back at square one anyway. Not that she couldn't take care of herself: it was more that dealing with people sent to kill you tended to be a distraction from plans you were trying to make.

Part of her struggled with the thought of teaming up with a demon, especially a demon with a reputation such as Mack; he was a type of possessor demon, but carried many more useful powers than a plain old demon. He was cunning, agile, intelligent and, it appeared, a good actor. Working together would definitely have its uses.

During the next while, as they sat and discussed their plans, Mack explained to her a few things that had confused her. Phoebe was impressed to learn that it was he - in essence - who had managed to take Cole out of limbo. His reasoning behind this was to, first of all, add extra pressure on the balance of power shift. It had become weaker, tipped more towards the side of good, which had caused a slight rift. This rift, Mack could take advantage of, and willingly did so.

"In short," he explained, some long minutes later, "His absence left a gaping hole in the cosmos. The energy it took to fill this back up cracked the balance of power, giving you the chance to turn evil."

Phoebe smiled.

"I must say, I'm impressed with how you've accomplished it," she said deviously, sitting back and linking her fingers. She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes. "It couldn't have been easy."

"No, it wasn't," Mack almost laughed, shaking his head. "I've been planning this for months, you know."

He gestured to their surroundings, him and Phoebe chatting idly about power, with the Book of Shadows sitting in between them, like some sort of serene child.

"But just _how_ did you manage it?"

"Turning you evil?" he grinned. Phoebe nodded. "That was fairly simple. The desire to live without consequences is in us all. I simply played on what I new were you darkest fears, and such like. Changing your dreams, giving you split-second thoughts of doubt and worry. That sort of thing. All in a day's work for a possessor demon."

A smile flicked into his face. "I wouldn't exactly call you 'evil', if I had a choice," he continued. "I just freed you from the binds of consciences and consequences. I won't say that being a demon - or warlock, in your case - doesn't have its downsides. But the freedom is something I knew you hungered for. That's why I chose you. The desire to not have to _care_ anymore was stronger in you than the other two."

Phoebe frowned, and her smile faded. The smallest part of her resented what Mack had said, and it was this that showed on her face. Had she really been so... easy?

"Don't take it too personally," Mack said, reading her face like a book. His voice, for once, was sincere. He smiled slightly. "You've probably been more affected by deep loss in the past. The pain that you've suffered... It's more intense than either of your sisters could even dream about. And you wanted the release."

Phoebe opened her mouth to protest, to defend her sisters, but Mack raised a hand in surrender, his palm pointing silently towards her.

"You needn't deny it," he said calmly. "I know it's true."

For a second, Phoebe swore she saw his eyes flash. She blinked, and looked again, but all she could see was the same old Mackenzie, smiling gently back at her. When he wasn't trying to rob her of her powers, he was actually quite attractive.

"How?" was all she could manage.

"I told you," he replied, shifting in his seat. "I've done my research."

He left it at that, as if she were supposed to draw from that all the answers to every question she would ever ask. Phoebe accepted the fact that he didn't want to explain too much about what he had done, perhaps because it was in the past and it was the future that needed discussing. But she still wasn't finished with her questions. If they were going to work together, she had to be sure that she could trust him.

"What about Cole?" she asked slowly. "How did you manage to move him from the void?"

"That was easy. I knew someone who... shall we say... 'owed me a favour'. Needless to say, he probably won't be coming to me any time soon with requests for help. But it was worth it."

"And what was this 'favour'?"

Mack cocked his head to one side, smiled, but did not reply. She had heard quite enough for now.

"You'll know soon enough. For now, we should work on your powers."

Phoebe's eyes narrowed. Mackenzie laughed; her untrusting nature was priceless. But, he noted, it would probably save her life down here.

"I can teach you how to control them," he explained. "So you can realise your full potential. And in return..."

He gestured towards the Book of Shadows. His implications were clear - he would help her become more powerful if she would help him gain access to great power. Their eyes locked, energy flashing between them. A smile began to spread across Phoebe's mouth. She nodded.

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"So," Paige said brightly when everyone had reconvened in the sitting room. Despite the circumstance and atmosphere, she had made tea for everyone. Two mugs sat solitary on the table, smoking gently into the air. Piper was stood by the window, her back to the room, her arms folded, and her body thin and silent. She was tense, and her sleek, black hair was strung up into a high ponytail. Leo, leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, gazed at her for a minute. He loved the way her hair fell down her back, accentuating her high, attractive shoulders and slender back. Even when she was enraged, she was still beautiful.

Paige stood just off the passageway to the kitchen, clutching her warming mug to her as if it were going to be her only source of drink for the next three years. She glanced quickly from Leo to Piper, and realised that it was she would have to play mediator for a change. Piper and Leo hadn't had a huge argument, but emotions were running a little high, and sitting on the edge of their seats playing 'the waiting game' was not exactly the best way to go about relieving them.

"I wonder what he'll be like," Paige speculated distantly.

"Who?" Piper asked, not looking around. Her breath clung to the window, misting her vision.

"Cole."

There was a beat of silence. _Holy moly_, Paige thought, hiding an expression of annoyance. Breaking the atmosphere was like trying to dig your way to the bottom of two miles of ice with a teaspoon. But, determinedly, she tried again.

"I wonder if he'll have charges and save innocents."

She had a mental image of Cole trying to orb to a charge and failing, thus getting very frustrated and upset. It was rather amusing.

"Unlikely," Piper scoffed. "He's no angel."

"You never know," Paige added cheekily. "We may have a second Leo on our hands."

Part of Leo smiled at this. Good for Paige, trying to bring some humour into a dismal situation. He hated having to deal with the silent treatment from Piper, hated having to rely on others and hated still feeling thoroughly useless. But the most part of him was just annoyed and frustrated, and it was this that built itself up into an answer.

"I'd rather two of me that one of Cole," he said callously. "At least _I've_ never tried to kill you."

"Real blessing in disguise, that is," Piper retorted sarcastically. Paige sighed loudly and pointedly. Neither of them even bothered to look at her.

"All right!" she exclaimed suddenly, and put her mug on the table. "I can't deal with this. There are bigger problems than you two getting at each other."

She grabbed Leo's wrist in her hand and dragged him over to sit on a chair by the far wall. He sat on the arm, his shoulders collapsed into a heavy status. Paige marched over to the window and took Piper's forearm, gently but firmly.

"What? Hey!" Piper protested, trying to break free. But when Paige was on a stubborn streak, nothing could stop her. She Pushed Piper onto the second arm of the same chair. Piper glanced up guiltily to her husband, who looked away. Paige rolled her eyes. This was like dealing with children. But, the situation had to be handled, so she addressed Piper first.

"Piper, we both know that there's a lot going on right now. Cole turning up out of the blue hasn't helped any of us, but whether we like it or not, he's here and we have to get used to it. If the Elders want to make him a whitelighter, that's their business and you shouldn't take it out on Leo."

Piper looked up sharply to her sister, her mouth open in angry astonishment. But Paige continued before she could interrupt, her head swinging to Leo.

"And _you_ need to realise that this is your wife, and right now she needs a husband, not a whitelighter. Don't expect so much out of her, and maybe you two can get over this little glitch in your road."

At this, Piper frowned heavily and stood up, her mouth curling downwards in anger. She shot her hands up threateningly.

"Paige, if my magic worked on good witches, I swear - "

"I know, I know," Paige replied, surrendering her palms. "But you can't blame a girl for trying."

"She's right, you know," Leo said softly from the chair. Piper turned to look at him. He looked up to her, his blue eyes pleading. "About everything."

"Leo, I know we've had our arguments, but - "

"No," he shook his head. "I've been letting things go recently. I've been... forgetting. I gave up being an Elder to be with you, but for the past three weeks it's been all I can do to stop myself from getting up an running away."

Paige backed away slightly, wishing that she were somewhere - anywhere - else. She'd even have taken on the edge of a volcano. As it was, she had to listen uncomfortably as Leo spilled his emotions and feelings to Piper. It was lucky that both of them seemed to have forgotten she was there. _Me and my big mouth,_ she thought ruefully.

"Why, Leo?" Piper questioned, worry and concern in her voice. "Why do you want to run?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know. But I miss you, Piper. I miss how we used to be; I miss how free we were. Now we're tied down with children, with married life, and with fighting demons on a daily basis. I love you and I always will. But I'm having trouble holding on. I just can't - "

He was interrupted by Piper moving to him, cradling his head in her arms. She put an arm around her shoulder and held him to her, resting her head gently on his own. She smiled at the scent of his shampoo.

"I'm right here," she said soothingly, running her fingers through his hair. "I always have been."

He looked up into her smiling, caring face. He could tell her anything. Maybe he could still hold on...

He stood up suddenly, breaking Piper's reach. She released her grip. But kept her hand comfortingly on his back. Leo looked worriedly from Piper to Paige, who had now managed to back away as far as the settee.

"You don't feel that?" he pleaded. Piper frowned, and looked to Paige for an answer. She shrugged.

"Feel what?"

"That pull..."

"What pull?" Piper asked, looking around the room as if she expected some sort of cord to be attached to them. "I don't feel anything."

The colour drained from Leo's face, and he sank back into the chair. Piper edged over to him, her hand on his shoulder. He had suddenly gone from looking very content to very ill.

"Leo, what's wrong?" she demanded, her voice stern with worry.

"The Elders..." Leo said, his eyes focussing very hard on the coffee table. "They told me I was under threat of turning evil if I stayed down here too long. That's why they wouldn't let me come back to you."

"Convenient," Piper muttered. Leo shook his hand through the air, indicating that he hadn't finished. He took a breath, as if trying to steady himself.

"But, I don't understand. They said I was only under threat of turning if all of you turned too..."

"Leo, I'm with Piper. I don't feel anything," Paige said, getting up from the seat. The whitelighter's complexion had definitely deteriorated in the last couple of minutes, and now he was sweating violently.

"Oh God," Piper pleaded, desperation in her voice. "Leo, honey, look at me," she said calmly, crouching in front of her. He did so, though it took of his energy to not pass out. Thoughts and feelings were whirling around his head, clouding his better judgement. He felt very heavy, as if someone had put a very heavy weight onto his heart. But at the same time, he felt oddly carefree, like nothing mattered.

"You're not evil," Piper assured him. "And neither are we."

Paige rushed over to the chair and perched on the arm, her hand on Leo's shoulder. But he shook his head, fighting back an urgent, desperate need to give up.

"What's... happening?" he spluttered through broken breaths. Piper put a hand to her mouth, her eyes growing red and swollen.

"I'm _not_ going to lose another member of my family," she said determinedly. She flicked her hands up towards Leo, who instantly froze in his position on the seat. His eyes were closed, but his face showed great pain. Paige looked at her worriedly, but with admiration on her face.

"Good thinking, sis," she praised. But Piper was on her feet and shaking her head in a flash.

"It won't hold for long. I can't save him like that."

"Ever get the feeling something's really, really against us?" Paige sighed dejectedly, her gaze falling to the floor.

"All the time," Piper replied, her hands on her hips as she was pacing. "It's as if someone's playing us."

"Or some_thing_."

"Either way, I'll be damned if I'm going to lose two members of my family to evil all in the same day."

Paige stood, her face etched with pure determination.

"So, what have we got so far?"

Piper stopped pacing, and looked to her sister. Her eyes shifted with thought.

"We're down a sister, so we don't have the Power of Three. She has the Book of Shadows, which apparently doesn't like us anymore. My husband is suffering from some sort of... demonic effect and the only person who can help us is an ex-demon who's been trying to kill us."

"Fantastic," Paige sighed, casting a quick glance at Leo. Her eyes filled with sorrow. "Any ideas?"

There was silence, and she looked back to Piper. Piper seemed to be locked in a staring competition with the carpet, her frown showing that she was thinking hard and fast.

"Hello, Earth to Piper," Paige said, waving a hand in front of her face. Piper jumped, and shook her head.

"What?"

"An idea?"

"Oh," Piper said, blinking slowly. "It's just something that's been bothering me, that's all."

"I think I can safely say we'll take anything we can get," Paige said. "What is it?"

"Well..." Piper screwed up her face. "Earlier today, Phoebe tried to summon Prue."

"She _what_?"

"I know, I know," Piper said, frustratedly waving her hands. "It didn't work. There was probably something dodgy about the spell she used. But Prue is our only shot at a Power of Three spell. Even if she _is_ a ghost."

"I thought you tried contacting Prue before, years ago."

"We did," Piper sighed. "But, that was shortly after her death - we weren't ready to see her, because we were still in mourning. It was the same with Mom."

"It was?"

Piper stared slowly towards the attic as she finished her story. She would need crystals and candles, if nothing else for her summoning spell.

"Yeah," she continued, climbing the steps. Paige followed. "We weren't allowed to even see her until we had truly gotten over her death. I think it's something to do with having to let go and accepting things."

"So what are you saying?"

The two of them crossed the narrow hall where their bedrooms were, and climbed the last few steps into the attic.

"We're not mourning Prue's death anymore. We've accepted it and, to an extent, moved on."

"Oh," said Paige, her eyes sparkling with adventure. "I get it. You want to try and summon Prue again."

Piper nodded, rummaging through some drawers in search of crystals.

"What makes you think it'll work? Or even that she'll be able to help?"

"I don't know," Piper sighed, retracting from the drawer with crystals in hand. "Just call it a hunch."

Paige shrugged. Hunches had to work, because that's all they had. And Piper, being one of the smartest, well-attuned witches she knew, was easily trustworthy. She just hoped that her hunches were too.

"I only hope that what happened with Phoebe doesn't happen with us..." Piper said quietly, looking around the attic for a moment. It was tidy, and she was thankful for it, but she really did not want to have to deal with the consequences of another bad spell.

"It won't," Paige assured her, putting a comforting hand on her sister's arm. Piper looked up smiled, her eyes filled with gratitude.

A light jingle interrupted the 'sisterly bonding'. Paige and Piper looked around, and were more than surprised to see Cole standing awkwardly in the corner of the room, frowning to himself.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Piper demanded, though she already knew.

"Apparently, I'm a whitelighter now," Cole replied, giving an answer to a completely different question. He gave a small shrug, his frown receding slightly. He felt odd and strange. There was something inside of him that he couldn't quite put his finger on - some sort of feeling of incompleteness, as if his body was too small for his skin. There was something niggling at his brain, a soft, inner voice that seemed to relax him. Right now, it was pounding the words '_do not be afraid_' through his mind. Part of Cole was thankful for it, for giving him something to hold on to. But the most part of him just felt angered.

"Any luck with Phoebe?" he asked, to change the subject.

"Not as yet," Piper sighed. "But we've had some _un_-luck with Leo."

Cole cocked his head.

"What do you mean?"

Piper turned her head to Paige, as if wondering if they should tell him. Paige nodded.

"Leo's having some... trouble..." Piper said at last, avoiding Cole's eyes. She began to set the crystals out into a summoning portal. She expected Cole to question her, to be confused. But he didn't. The voice in his head was telling him, '_help them_', and it was all he could to obey - if only to shut it up.

"Oh no," he sighed, walking over to the sisters. His eyes darted from one pair of eyes to the other. "How bad is he?"

"I had to freeze him," Piper admitted, a sad tone in her voice. "He looked like he was about to breakdown."

Cole didn't need to hear anything else. "That won't save him," he said, before darting around the sisters and rushing downstairs, urgency in his step.

"What? Wait!" Piper called out after him. There was no answer. "Paige, go and see what he's up to. I need to finish up here."

Paige nodded without a second thought, and followed the ex-demon-whitelighter, or whatever he was. She got to the foot of the stair just as Cole was stood over the frozen picture of Leo. His eyes were filled with both worry and courage.

"Elders!" he shouted, casting his arm outwards and upwards. Instantly, blue, shimmering lights began to unfold around Leo, and he disappeared in a stream of lights up to the sky.

"What did you do?" Paige demanded, edging over to him, her mouth agape. Cole looked up towards her. '_Explain_,' the voice in his head told him. _Yes, thank you I knew that_, Cole thought to himself, and then wished he hadn't. It was confusing telling himself what to think.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, his brow arching. Paige crossed her arms. Cole sighed, and walked past her to head towards the stairs.

"Hey, mister!" Paige exclaimed, putting an arm out and catching him in the chest. He stopped, and looked down to the little witch. She was looking up to him with cold eyes and a hard expression. _Still doesn't trust me_.

"I orbed Leo up to the Elders. They'll know what to do with him there, and they'll be able to take care of him. It wasn't the most desired course of action, but you guys need to focus on getting Phoebe back. Distractions won't help, and I'm here to make sure that you guys get all the support you need."

Paige narrowed her eyes, and considered him for a moment.

"All right... But if you start to spew, 'Your powers are tied to your emotions', I swear, I'm gonna - "

But quite what it was Paige would have done, Cole never found out. At that moment, there was a large crash from the attic.

"Piper!" Paige cried, and the both of them ran up the stairs.

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_Yes, I know, yet another long chapter. But I hope I was able to explain more about what's going on_, _and that it isn't too confusing :D My sincerest thanks to Nancy. T for the kind reviews, Gilluin for being beta for this chapter, and also to Adam, who's been following this story with keen intent. Let's hope I can keep up this inspiration long enough to finish this fanfic ;) To anyone who's reading, I'd really love to hear your points of view on this. Just hit a little review button, even if it's to complain. Okay, well, maybe not, but you get my drift... :D_


	13. Summoning, Part I

Chapter XIII

The translucent apparition of Prue floated a few inches above the ground. Paige and Cole rushed into the attic, Cole putting an arm out and leaning on the doorframe, Paige just behind him, her head peering through. A mirror – the one that Paige had already fixed once today – lay on the floor, its glass shattered. But no one took notice of it.

Piper didn't turn to look at the two by the door, but stood, frozen to her spot, her eyes wide. It had worked.

"I…" she began, but couldn't think of anything else to say. Words seemed useless now. Nothing she could say could explain what she had felt over the past years; how she had been heart broken at her sister's death; how there had been nights where she would wake up in the middle of the night and just sit peacefully to herself, remembering her sister's memory; how a day didn't go by when she didn't wonder, just for a minute, what life would be like if Prue had stayed with them. But looking into the smiling, kindly face of her older sister, suddenly words didn't seem necessary anyway. Everything she had ever felt, ever wanted to say, Prue knew.

"I know, honey," Prue said softly.

She was radiant; there was no doubt about it. Her hair framed her face in a beautiful bob, her skin was clear and pure and her eyes were bright with knowledge. She was content, and happy, and possessed so much beauty in her simple self that Piper felt the tears welling up inside of her. She wanted to rush forward and hug her sister, be embraced by the protective force of her older sister. But she had to remain strong; that life was gone now.

Prue's head turned over towards the door, and a wide smile spread across it.

"Hello Cole," she said, her eyes sparkling. He nodded to her, but said no more. He stepped forward, leaving only Paige in the doorframe. Paige was astonished. Her eyes were wide and her breath was caught in her chest. She had known that Piper was planning on summoning Prue, so this shouldn't have been a surprise. But it was. The photographs around the house didn't do her justice.

"We haven't been formerly introduced," Prue smiled, her soft eyes fixed firmly on her youngest sister. "I'm Prue."

"I know…" Paige said slowly, with wonder in her voice. She stepped forward cautiously, as if Prue were a shy kitten she would rather not frighten off. "I've… heard a lot about you."

Prue only smiled. She then turned back to Piper.

"She's pretty," Prue said in a voice hardly more than a whisper. "I can see how you get on with her so well."

Piper smiled broadly, and cast a glance over to Paige.

"Yeah," Piper said, her eyes wet with tears. "She's a star."

Paige walked over the attic and stood behind her sister, putting an arm around her waist. They smiled to each other before looking back to Prue.

"I still don't understand how this worked..." Paige said slowly, smiling but eying Prue at the same time. "I mean, Phoebe tried and..."

Prue shook her head.

"She wasn't ready for it. For me. She wanted to contact me as a last resort to trying to sort out her problems, because she had nowhere else to turn. That isn't how it's supposed to work, so... she wasn't allowed."

"Can you help us?" Piper asked apprehensively. She had to save one sister before she could bond with the next. Prue looked at her, her eyes filling with sorrow. She slowly shook her head.

"No. I'm just a messenger."

"From who?" Paige asked.

"The Elders. They didn't want to risk any more exposure to evil, and to their kind, so they let you see me. I'm here to warn you."

"About...?"

Prue cast a sideways glance at Cole.

"Patient as usual, I take it?" she asked sweetly. He merely scowled, and tightened his mouth.

"They've found something out. Phoebe has teamed up with a powerful demon called Mackenzie. He hasn't been heard from in a long time, but – "

"I know him," Cole interrupted darkly. All eyes swung to him, though Piper would have rather heard Prue's story than his. "When I was being raised in the Underworld as a demon, he was the one who taught me how to harness my powers. He showed me the true meaning of evil, but didn't hide the fact that it wasn't always pleasant being demonic. He's very clever, and very powerful. It's no wonder that Phoebe turned if he had anything to do with it. I haven't heard anything of him in – well, centauries. If I'm honest, I actually thought he'd met his end."

There was silence for a while as shifty looks were exchanged. If Mackenzie had been the one to train Cole, Phoebe was probably in more danger than any of them previously expected.

"Piper, I don't have much time," Prue said suddenly. "The connection is weakening. If Phoebe works with Mackenzie, the horrors that they'll submit to this world will be more deadly than anything any of us have ever seen before. You have to stop her before it's too late."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Piper almost snapped. White orbs were beginning to circle around Prue, and time was running out. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to ask. But this wasone moment that she would never be able to freeze.

Prue pointed towards Cole.

"You can't. He can. Use the spell that Paige and Phoebe used a few years ago. The one they used to get into your mind when the Source had you trapped there."

"Her mind...?" Paige asked slowly.

"There's no time!" Prue cried. "Just trust me. And Piper, Paige... I love you. Blessed be..."

Her words faded with her, and as quickly as she had been hovering in front of her, she was gone. There was nothing. Piper brought a hand to her mouth and shut her eyes, tight. She had to stop the tears.

"Oh, Prue," she moaned, her eyes burning. She felt the comforting grip of her younger sister tighten, and a weight on her shoulder.

"Shhhh," Paige soothed. "We'll see her again. When all of this is over."

Piper sniffed, and opened her eyes. She had to be strong. For Prue's sake. For Phoebe's sake. For her own. She looked to Paige, who smiled softly and nodded.

"Can you remember the spell you used?"

"About as easily as I can remember the shopping list from three years ago," Paige muttered, grimacing. Piper frowned.

"Well, Paige, you need to try!"

"I know that, Piper! I know…"

Something inside of Cole told him that he held the answer. The little voice in him told him to go, voice his ideas, that he would not be shot down. Reluctantly, he listened to it. He coughed loudly, interrupting the sisters' glare.

"Yes?" Piper sighed. She was beginning to wish he would just revert to interrupting whenever he felt like it. He didn't look to her, but instead, straight at Paige.

"You're a whitelighter," he said bluntly, his idea sparking and igniting into a thousand pieces.

"Yes, Cole, well done," Paige retorted sarcastically. He frowned.

"How strong is your sensing power?"

"Cole, we've been through this. I can't sense Phoebe, she's evil now, and – "

"No, that's not what I mean," Cole said, waving a hand up to cut her off. "Just answer the question."

"I'm all right at it," Paige admitted, her own eyes being shadowed by a thick frown. "Why?"

Cole sighed slowly and began pacing.

"Well, if you can sense for people in the world and orb to them, why shouldn't you be able to sense for spells inside your mind? I mean, you've used them, and part of you must want to remember – "

"– _All_ of me wants to remember," Paige corrected.

"Fine. The point is, it should be calling to you; you can use your powers to sense the spell from your mind, and then you can Piper can use it."

There was a pause as the idea began to formulate itself in each of their minds. It could work. It seemed to make a sort of sense; at least as much sense in their world as anything could.

"It's worth a try," Piper said slowly, her voice dipping with fatigue. "It's about all we have."

"All right," Paige agreed. She looked from one to the other, as if for a signal to start. When none came, she shrugged, and closed her eyes anyway. She relaxed her body, trying to empty her mind of everything. She imagined a thick fog being blown away by an invisible force, and felt a complete feeling of peace and tranquillity. But out of the calmness and stillness of her mind, something came hurtling towards her. It aught her by surprise, and she even felt slightly winded in the chest.

"I've got it," she said loudly, her eyes closed and her mind focused. Piper dashed for a pad and a pen.

"Go on, honey," she coaxed. "We're listening."

Paige read the words from the front of her minds as if they were right in front of her.

"Life to life and mind to mind, our spirits now will intertwine; we mould our souls and journey to the one whose thoughts we wish we knew."

"Good job sweetie," Piper congratulated sweetly, rubbing Paige on her arm. The younger sister opened her eyes and smiled.

"Now we have that, I think we have a shot at saving Phoebe," Cole said, almost excitedly. He looked at Paige for a minute, his mouth growing into an open and calm smile, his eyes lighting up with admiration. "Well done Paige," he said softly, taking a step towards her. "You did well."

She looked up at him, and smiled. For once, he wasn't biting her head off: and she was thankful for it.

"Let's get this over with," Piper said from behind them, her patience exhausted. It had been a long enough day. "I want my sister and my husband back."

Paige nodded.

"Okay. I guess this up to Cole, then."

He shot her a sharp look.

"Just like that?" he questioned, his voice a little untrusting. "No questions about an ulterior motive, or how I could take advantage of being inside Phoebe's mind?"

"Just like that," Paige replied sweetly.

"Besides," Piper added, motioning for him to get within the circle of crystals Prue had been in. "You're Good now. You couldn't hurt her if you tried."

He nodded happily. Maybe becoming a whitelighter did have its perks. Maybe this was the answer to question he had kept hidden away from himself for years. Maybe this was the reason why being a demon had made him feel so incomplete. And maybe, just maybe, this was his true calling.

Putting the thoughts of 'who he was meant to be' out of his mind for the moment, Cole stood in the circle of crystals whilst Piper and Paige adjusted the words of the spell. He couldn't cast it himself, not being a witch, but he could be their messenger. If they listened to Prue, to Leo and to the Elders – and maybe even to Cole's little inner voice – perhaps they could save her. Perhaps they could bring Phoebe back from a deeper evil than she had experienced before. Perhaps life could be good again, and go back to the way it had been – _should_ be.

Or, perhaps they were just about to piss off an extremely powerful warlock.

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_A/N: I know, I know, a short chapter. Sorry about that, but inspiration has been on the dip lately. I have some of chapter fourteen written already, so I'll upload that as soon as possible so you don't have to wait so long :D A few additions to finish up (i've taken to adding my notes to the end rather than the beginning, as I've realised how annoying it can be 0.o) _

littlehollyleaf: You probably just caught me on my uploading day. It's usually every two to three days, but I'm pleased that you're enjoying it! Let's hope your wishes to see Cole in whitelighter action get granted soon... ;)

_twotoe: Yes, cliffhangers are my favourite... muhahaha... They can be very annoying :D_


	14. At the Edge of the Woods

Chapter XIV – At the Edge of the Woods

Mack stood back in the chamber, his eyes alight with excitement. She truly was a powerful warlock. He watched, with a broad smile on his face, as Phoebe hurled fireballs backwards and forwards, hitting the targets he commanded. He had, of course, spent time on helping her to reach her trigger, but now she had started, there was just no stopping her. He grinned harder for a few minutes, and then spoke.

"Excellent!"

Phoebe turned around to him, only slightly out of breath. The power that filled inside her was spreading. She could almost feel it travelling through her blood vessels, reaching the tip of her fingers. It was as if someone had given her the strength and the confidence to do whatever she wanted to do, be whoever she wanted to be and feel whatever she wanted to feel. The entire sensation was beyond that of immortality.

"This bores me," she said after a while, her voice silky and calm. "I've kept my end of the bargain: you've had time to look through the Book, at your own will. Now it's time you help _me_."

"I thought _this_ was helping you," Mackenzie replied, putting a heavy hand out and signalling to their surroundings; there were scorch marks covering all of the walls, spreading up and out like an eagle's wings. But Phoebe shook her head, her mind already on bigger and better things.

"I trust you've seen the '_to bind a demon_' spell that's in there?"

Mack nodded, his eyes gleaming; he had seen a damn site more than that.

"Go and find some… willing participants."

Mack's eyes instantly narrowed, his suspicion flaring up like an allergy.

"That's crazy," he said after a long while of considering her, his eyes not getting any larger. Phoebe ignored him, and turned away. The Book of Shadows, which up until a few minutes ago had been in Mack's careful and longing hands, now lay on a small shelf in an alcove of the cavern. This, however, was behind Mackenzie, and Phoebe had a pretty solid idea that he would not be willing to give it up so easily.

"Just do it," she spat.

"And if I don't?" Mack asked, stepping forward, his muscles tensing. "What do you think you'll do to me, witch? Think you even have the power to – "

He didn't have an opportunity to finish his sentence. At the mention of the term 'witch', Phoebe had wheeled around, her eyes blazing a dark black, shimmering, like thick, black oil. Her mouth was thin and her face was colourless. She flung her hand out towards him, and with it, Mackenzie was thrown up into the air and cast against the carnivorous walls straight behind him. The jutted rocks in the side penetrated his back, and though he was strong enough not be vanquished by the force, there was a terrifying crack and his body sank to the floor in a crumpled heap. He was unconscious.

Phoebe's hand retracted calmly to her side. She looked around herself briefly, then began stalking towards the alcove where the Book was. She paused just beyond its mouth, her head looking down to the remains of the demon on the floor. He had told her he was the most powerful demon in the Underworld. He had been unmatched by any, defeated by none and yet, there he was, lying in a dishevelled heap on the floor.

"Interesting," Phoebe said softly to herself, looking down to her hands. "_Very_ interesting."

And with one final look at the pathetic excuse for a challenge on the floor, she swept the Book of Shadows into her arms and began making her way to a bunch of demons she _knew_ would not turn her down.

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It was dark behind closed eyes. Cole had felt utterly ridiculous, standing – yet again – in a circle in the sisters' attic. But his eyes were closed, and he had been told to concentrate. His breath was long and smooth. Somewhere inside of him, he could feel the beginning of everlasting peace and fulfilment. But it wasn't complete. So, consequently, he felt both completely fulfilled and yet horribly empty all at the same time. It was a strange sensation.

Suddenly, interrupting his calming thoughts, he heard the words of the spell float around him. His muscles tensed, but his mind relaxed. He felt as if he were swirling, being mixed into a giant pool of water. He was completely unaware of his body collapsing to the ground. All he could feel was a rush around him, a pang of dizziness, and then suddenly…complete and utter stillness. He opened his eyes, not knowing what to expect. It was dark. And he was alone.

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Phoebe suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her breath was cut short, and she felt as if someone had winded her in the stomach. There was something – some sort of disturbance – in her mind. She couldn't pinpoint it, but something wasn't right.

It wasn't the best time to become paralysed with thought. She had managed to gather the necessary ingredients for the spell she planned on casting. Five willing demons had become members of her 'to do' list, and they were all stood uneasily around a large, bubbling cauldron on an open fire, waiting for their command. Phoebe had the blade of an athame tipped to nearest one's heart. He had flinched, but was now puzzled by her sudden halt. He looked around to his others quizzically, whose faces were becoming dark with impatience. The powerful warlock had already shown what she was made of, so none of them wanted to face her and risk being vanquished. On the other hand, this was no time to play games.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, his voice shaky but annoyed. Phoebe's look snapped up to him, which told him quite clearly that it wasn't.

"It's fine," she snapped, trying to compose herself. She ignored the strange feeling in her mind and brought the athame up to her shoulder. Then, with all the force she was allowed, she began the first incantation from the Book of Shadows and plunged the knife into the demon's chest. He screamed in agony, writhing beneath her grip. And as his screaming echoed around the cavern, something stirred in Phoebe's mind.

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Cole looked about himself. It was so dark that he wouldn't have been able to see his hand directly in front of his face. Where _was_ he? Could this be the mind that had corrupted Phoebe's own? It was as if he were standing on nothing, in nothing and surrounded by nothing. He turned around, again and again, spinning as if trying to see a difference in the blackness that took him. But there was none. No one. Nothing.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Cole felt something powerful move through him. An odd, white smoke ripped through him, completely passing him by as if no one was there. He was caught in its path, and was stunned for a minute, as he felt more pain and agony than he had ever felt before in his life. His body was rigid as the mist careered through him, knocking the very wind out of him. His chest felt like it was about to explode. A horrible feeling of breathlessness caught him off guard. But it was the hundreds of thousands of screaming voices in his head that made his emotions well up and explode through him in an excruciating scream of his own.

He was too distracted to notice that as the smoke was passing through him, it was creating pictures and a place around him. Within mere seconds, he was surrounded by an entire new world. Panting for breath he looked around, startled and scared. What had been dark and black was now, oddly enough the sitting room of the manor. He blinked once or twice, his eyes adjusting to the images.

Cole was standing at the foot of the stairs, it would seem, and there was no sound or movement around him. Had the spell backfired?

"Hello?" He called uncertainly out into the room, his eyes darting from left to right. He was still reeling from the sudden mass of feelings that had overwhelmed him.

The room, for a split second or two, seemed to turn completely black and bend towards him, as if it were falling in on itself. But a second later, everything was fine again. Cole's brow furrowed.

He stepped forward, his smart, black shoes echoing on the polished tiled floor. He put a hand out to the couch, feeling the soft fabric beneath his fingertips. At least it seemed to be real.

"Piper? Paige?" Cole half-shouted, turning around and calling up the stairs. There was no answer: no sound, not movement. Nothing. This was certainly very strange.

A voice from behind him startled him, and he turned.

"Cole...?"

In the shadow of the kitchen doorway he saw Phoebe. She was huddled together, her face timid, her shoulders hunched and her hands clasped desperately to her chest. She was looking up at him with eyes that looked hollow of emotion, and her skin was snow-white. Her voice was strangled and small, as if she hadn't spoken in years; it was almost as if dust and cobwebs had collected in her throat.

Cole's face softened and his confused frown disappeared. His stomach and heart gave a unanimous jolt, sending another stream of wilful tears to his eyes. But he kept them at bay, feeling that he had to be strong. The sight of the woman who had been so strong for the past years completely torn to pieces broke his heart, and it took all his strength not to let emotion entirely engulf him.

"Phoebe," he whispered, his voice soft with worry and – as much as he hated to admit it – love. If his face didn't betray how he was feeling, his voice certainly did. Then, more sternly, he strengthened himself and glanced around the still manor.

"What happened?" he asked, not daring to even move an inch.

Phoebe blinked slowly as if he had spoken a language she didn't understand. She heard his voice in her head like a thousand angry wasps buzzing at her thoughts, and she retreated a little into the comfort of her own shell. Even his presence in her own little safe world felt like knives cutting at every inch of her skin.

"I... are you real?" she asked helplessly, her voice choked.

"What? Of course I'm real," Cole replied, stepping towards her. She looked to him with terror in her eyes, her heart beating fast. She retracted away from him, convinced that he was poison to her. She huddled against the wall, praying that he would leave her alone. As she did so, the house seemed to bend inward again, flashing a dark black. And this time, Cole knew he wasn't imagining it.

He backed off, his hand out as if to steady himself. _It must have worked_, he realised, taking another chanced glance at his surroundings. _I must be in Phoebe's mind_. If that was the case, then who was the woman in front of him?

"I'm here to help..." Cole said uncertainly, not sure if she was even listening. Her head was jerking sharply from one side to the other, as if small insects were buzzing around her head. But suddenly, she snapped towards him, her muscles tensed.

"You can't help," she said tersely, her eyes narrowing. "You never could."

Then suddenly, her expression completely changed. Her eyes grew big and wide, filling with the empty remains of tears. She came away from the wall and put a hand to her mouth, making extravagant movements as she did so.

"I'm sorry," she said airily, fighting back tears. "I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did," Cole coughed. But he smiled. "Phoebe, let me help you. This isn't right."

"Like you would know," Phoebe spat back, her eyes narrow once more. She jerked her head towards him, as if she were talking to somebody else. "Left me. Couldn't leave fast enough."

This was like dealing with two alternate Phoebes. But then, Cole supposed, that that was what it was. Her evil side and her good side, both fighting it out for possession of one body. He gave her a sympathetic, pleading look. He knew exactly how that felt, right down to the very agonising second where you know that you've lost. He wanted to help her, and he knew that he needed to. He wasn't angry with her, quite the contrary. But something inside of him – maybe even that little voice – told him that he should reply as if she were having a natural conversation with him: as if they were talking in every day life. So he did.

"I seem to remember it was _you_ who vanquished _me_," he replied, walking over to one of the seats in the sitting room and collapsing back in to it.

"Hardly fair, considering you tried to wipe my sister from existence."

This voice was strong, and more Phoebe-like. Cole smiled inwardly; apparently, his new inner voice knew a lot more about success than he had ever learned as one-hundred-and-fifty years as demon.

"Fair play," Cole agreed, motioning to a seat next to him. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know..." Phoebe replied, her voice wavering again. Cole sat forward, intent that he wasn't going to lose her again. He patted the chair not far off from him.

"We can sit and talk about it," he said calmly, raising his eyes to look to her. She was still contained within her own small space, but she seemed more relaxed. Slowly, she edged over to him and sat uneasily on the seat.

"What happened?" Cole asked tentatively. He knew now that he could not move to startle her, as if she were a timid animal he would rather not scare away. He had to override his instinct to take her in to his arms and comfort her, to tell her that everything was all right. All he could do was sit there.

"I was all alone…" Phoebe choked, her hands twitching nervously within themselves. Cole shifted in his seat, his eyes softening.

"You're not alone now."

"I know," She replied, her eyes flicking up to him. Her thick lashes moved slowly over her eyes, and Cole had to calm himself; that look she gave him always sent a shiver down his spine.

She looked at him and felt her muscles relax. His brown eyes looked back at her softly, sparkling gently like water from a bubbling stream. At a glance, Phoebe swore that she could see the entire universe swirling around in his amorous eyes.

"Something's happened to me," Phoebe said simply, not taking her eyes off of him. Part of her wanted to tell him everything, wanted him to console her and let her troubles wash over him so that eventually they would melt away. But part of her, the part she had been listening to for the past few months, didn't want to have to rely on him – on anyone – to pick her up after a fall. She wanted to fight alone. But she was grateful when Cole didn't interrupt her. He moved closer to her and reached out a hand to her own. Phoebe heart raced as she felt his warm touch.

"I'm not really sure how this start," she continued, sighing and looking down to the floor. "I just know that I can't stop it."

"Stop what?"

Phoebe cast him a quick glance.

"It's like I'm battling against myself," she said resignedly, not quite answering his question. "Ever day I have to find the fight to get up and start living all over again. I have to put on a mask of happiness and pretend that everything's all right, when all I really want to do is find a way to stop living the way I am."

Cole considered her for a minute, his eyes frowned.

"Stop living?" he questioned, his brows still furrowed. "That's death, Phoebe. And I can tell you from experience that it's not that all it's cracked up to be. I know that it's difficult – " he squeezed her hand in his " – but you have to keep fighting. You have to keep that spark in you alive."

"Easy for you to say," Phoebe replied bitterly, taking her hand away from Cole's grip and shifting away from him. "_You_ couldn't keep fighting, could you?" She shot him a dark look. "_You_ gave up."

Cole retracted, more than a little stung.

"It wasn't for lack of trying," he said slowly, his voice softer than a growl. "And it wasn't even me."

"It's about time you stopped blaming everyone else for your mistakes," Phoebe snapped, anger flaring in her like a swarm of bees.

"I'm not!" Cole cried, his voice rising. "What, you want me to admit that I wasn't strong enough to fight back? That I couldn't hold it together, even for us?"

"But you _could_," Phoebe shouted, getting up off the sofa with tears in her eyes. "You just didn't want to!"

There was a silence as Cole sat, trying to make sense of what she was saying. Did she really think that he had _wanted_ to throw it all away; that it was a choice he had made? Though, from the outside, he supposed it must have looked that way. Yet, from what she had described and what she had been through, surely she, of all people, should understand?

"When have I _ever_," he replied instead, his eyes glistening and his heart pounding, "given you that impression, Phoebe? When?"

She bowed her head to the floor, feeling herself draw away from him. She didn't want this. It was too late to be arguing about a past that had long since died – and yet, at the same time, she knew that neither one of them could let it go. She heaved a sad sigh, then turned to him, tears making their way down her face. Cole's heart broke as she spoke.

"When you chose power over me," she choked, barely able to keep a strong voice. "When I stopped being enough for you. When you would have killed my sisters – and me – for your own vendettas. I couldn't keep you from it, Cole, I couldn't save you because_ you did not want to be saved_. I could see you falling away from me, every day – before the source, before the Seer... before any of this mess even began. Or ended. It's not that love wasn't enough. It was. I know that now. It was me... _I_ wasn't enough for you..."

She had to stop at that point. All the pain and the blame that she had cut into herself like a knife welled up as one final wave, and she collapsed into a sobbing fit as if the dam of her emotions had split in two. She felt strong arms around her, and was pulled into a warm, inviting chest.

Phoebe didn't know how long the two of them stood together, Cole holding her to him as if letting her go would mean never seeing her again. He laid his head on her own, stroking her hair with his hand whilst pulling her close to him with the other. She leant in to him, no longer afraid. She sobbed the entire world into his arms, and he stood there as patient as ever content with knowing that she was safe with him.

His touch still made her quiver, even now, and even when she would never have dared to admit it. He had been what was missing in her life, and daring to hope that he might be back was both immensely exciting and frightening. She couldn't bear to go through the pain of their love all over again – not when she had fought so hard to get over it.

Slowly, reluctantly, she pulled back ever so slightly from him. His hand was still on her back, and as she moved, his second moved to cup her cheek in his hand. His thumb moved idly from side to side, caressing her soft skin. They looked in to each other for what seemed like an eternity, each terrified of the future and what to do next. Then Phoebe looked away, and moved out of his reach all together.

"We can't get into this..." she said, her voice cracking. She was speaking through broken breaths. Cole tipped his head to the side.

"I know," he said gently. "At least, not now. Right now, we need to work on a way of getting you back."

"What do you mean?" Phoebe's look was more than questioning.

"Well," Cole half-laughed, "You're not exactly on the easiest reachable terms right now."

"It was just so easy..." Phoebe sighed, walking away and to the bottom of the stairs. "I could hide away from everything. It was everything I always wanted."

"Being Evil?"

Phoebe shook her head, then seemed to give up.

"No – yes – maybe..."

He walked to her softly, his feet light on the carpeted floor.

"Phoebe, as long as I've known you, you've never wanted that," he said, stopping a few inches from her. She didn't turn when she replied.

"People change."

"Yes, their favourite colours, favourite foods, or maybe even how they want to live – but you can't change who you are."

"Why not?" Phoebe questioned, pretending that she was talking the stairs: she didn't want to have to look Cole in the face. "You did."

There was a pause as he considered her.

"Whether I've been Good, Evil, the Source, a demon... I'm still myself. I still live and love the same things, and nothing can change how I _feel_. Not really. And it's the same for you, if you'll just believe it."

"I've got nothing to believe in any more," Phoebe replied, with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I give up living with consequences – I've lost too much."

"Perhaps. But you'll lose more now than you ever have – or will. Don't you see? You'll throw everything away that you've been fighting for, everything that you've been trying to protect for the last seven years."

"I don't _care_," she snapped bitterly.

"Yes you do," Cole urged, daring to put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinch. "I know you do, because I can still see it. That's why I – I still love you."

Phoebe's heart gave a jolt, and her stomach clenched. Even after all these years, those little words from his mouth still made her giddy.

"How?" she asked pathetically. "How can you still love me?"

"Because whatever you do, whatever you say and whoever you say you are, I will always be here to protect you – "

"You sound like Leo," Phoebe interrupted, disgusted. Cole's mind flashed a warning to him – he was losing her. "Do what's best for both of us, and go back to my sisters. They'll need you for what's coming."

"Why?" Cole asked, unable to hide the desperation in his voice. "What's coming?"

At this, Phoebe turned to him and looked him straight in the eye. He was more than a little shocked to see that the empathy and feeling that was there before had now seemingly evaporated.

"A bigger threat than any of you could imagine." She sounded almost smug. "And now you need to go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Cole said determinedly, his eyes firing up.

"Fine," Phoebe shrugged. "Then you'll stay here with me, and probably die a slow – painful – death."

"That's enough!" Cole snapped, taking her hand in his. He practically had to force his grip around hers, and though she fought, he held it firm. "Paige!" he shouted to the ceiling. "Piper!"

Phoebe giggled.

"They can't hear you."

"I'll be damned if I'm going to let you throw away everything you've ever cared for," Cole almost spat. "Including me. Now, I've been pretty patient with you up until now – and, granted, I'll probably have some explaining to do when we sort everything out. But you are _not_ going to go down without a fight. Whatever it is you're running from, we can face it. Together."

His words, though brutal, moved her. She felt something stir inside of her, a want to keep fighting. She didn't want to give up on life, or on love. She just didn't have to want to face it alone.

"You're not alone," Cole whispered into her ear, as though he could read her thoughts. "I'm back for the long haul, and I'm not going anywhere."

He let go of her hand, but she didn't move from him.

"How can you be so confident?"

It was a pleading question, and Cole knew the exact answer.

"Because you never let _me_ give up. What I did – what we went through – it wasn't your fault. And I didn't give up on any of it. I always strived to be Good, even when I was knocked down time and time again. And right now, I need you to do the same for me. I need you to stand up and have the courage to say you can do it. Because what you're feeling right now, that agonising pain of being in two minds – two worlds, almost – is going to rip you apart if you don't make a decision. So what is it, Phoebe? Good or Evil?"

It was one hell of an ultimatum. Phoebe looked up to him, and around the manifestation of her mind. It was so easy to live for herself without caring about others. But it was also completely against her nature. She could deal with being the most powerful warlock on the Underworld. She could deal with the pain she would cause the innocents. She could even deal with loosing her sisters. But it wasn't worth it. How could a lifetime of consequence free actions possibly balance out to giving up everything that she had known to be safe and right?

"I'm ready," Phoebe said at last, her voice strong. She slipped her hand inside Cole's, and their fingers linked. The happiness in his heart poured out of him in a smile, though they were far from out of the woods yet. "I don't want to run anymore."

He tightened his hand around hers, felt her warmth spreading through him, and he knew that something had changed. As white orbs began to swirl around the couple, Phoebe huddled into his shoulder and knew that this was for forever. In a voice little more than a whisper, she spoke.

"I knew you'd save me."

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**_A/N:_** _Really have to apologise for entire **week **it took to write this. What with suffering from a cold, attempting to catch up with overdue work and generally starved of inspiration, it took me a little longer than I hoped it would. I'll be going away on holiday, and though I will be writing, it won't be uploaded until at least next wednesday. No biggie, though, I'm sure no one will miss it :P_

_ littlehollyleaf: sorry it took such a long time... I'll try and get some more in quickly, just for you ;)  
_


	15. Search and Rescue

Chapter XV – Search and Rescue

It was a strange sensation, orbing out of someone's mind. He wasn't even sure if it was possible. One minute, Cole had been orbing and the next, he was waking up suddenly in the sisters' attic with a cold sweat on his brow. It was not pleasant.

"What happened?" Piper's voice demanded instantly, breaking through the calm quiet in his head.

"I think she's back," Cole replied simply, sitting up. Piper's eyes widened, perhaps in relief, perhaps in shock that he had actually managed to do it.

"For good?"

"I hope so," he muttered, pulling himself to his feet. His sense of balance was completely off, and he almost fell down again. "I don't think I could go through that again."

"Well?" Paige asked after a beat of silence.

"Well what?"

"Where is she?"

They exchanged a worried glance.

"I don't know," Cole began. "I assumed she'd come back with me."

"No," Piper interrupted, shaking her head. She walked past Cole towards the attic door. "She'll have returned to her own body. Like I did after you guys did the same with me. Well," she cast them each a look, "almost the same."

"Oh," Paige said dejectedly. "So... we still have to find her?"

Cole and Piper arrived at the same thought simultaneously.

"The potion!"

It didn't take any more thought. The three of them rushed down the stairs, practically tripping as they went. If it had been a cartoon, there would have been movement smoke left behind them.

Paige and Cole waited with baited breath as Piper poured the contents of the – now rather cold – saucepan in to a vial. However, once she'd capped it and shaken it, she wasn't quite sure what to do.

"So... I just throw this? At us?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well, I assume so," replied Cole with a shrug.

"You _assume_ so? It was your idea!"

"Well, I've never used it before!" he half shouted, anger and voice rising. The little voice in his head shot him a warning and, despite the temptation, he bit his tongue.

"Save now, argue later," Paige reminded meaningfully. "If the potion doesn't work, one of us can orb."

Piper shrugged, stepped over to the other two and let the potion drop to the floor. The glass shattered with a crash and smoke rose up from the mess, practically devouring the trio in its wake.

The transportation didn't take long. Within seconds, coughing and spluttering, the three of them were standing in the Underworld. With Phoebe. Surrounded by demons. Paige swore under her breath at the sight. There must have been at least twenty demons around them.

"Phoebe!" Piper shouted, rushing up to her younger sister. Phoebe didn't turn around. She didn't move; her eyes, her entire body, were fixed on the demons in front of her. "Phoebe!" Piper repeated, more force behind her voice. She took her sister by the arm and shook her. Phoebe made no response.

It was not the only strange thing going on. The circle of demons were standing stock-still too, their eyes all set on Phoebe. None of them stirred. In fact, not one of them seemed to have even noticed the three intruders, despite the racket. If Piper didn't know better, she would have wondered if she'd frozen the scene.

"Phoebe!"

Cole's voice was loud and commanding. He came up to her other side, grabbed her forearm and tried to pull her away. But she wouldn't budge. Cole shot a questioning look over at Piper, who merely shrugged. But it was Paige who alerted their attention.

"Uh guys?"

They turned around, and as soon as they did, their eyes widened.

"The Book's... uh... doing something."

Paige backed away to her sisters and Cole and watched with a mingle of horror and fear as the Book of Shadows began to rise into the air. A loud, heavy roaring sound erupted from its pages, and then something that looked like a mini tornado spun outwards from the spine, circling as it went. The noise was deafening.

The tornado rose and swelled, spreading up in to the air. It then swerved and suddenly surrounded a nearby demon, engulfed it, then pulled it back into its depth. The demon didn't even cry out. The tornado receded completely for mere seconds, but then returned, repeating this process with the next demon in line.

"What the hell's going on?" Piper shouted above the din of the roaring wind.

"Looks like some sort of weird ritual," Paige shouted back, glancing around them and taking note of the demons' chests – each one had some sort of ancient rune gouged in to them. "Look at the markings of their wounds!"

Something inside Cole clicked. Ritual... Summoning... Could this be what Phoebe had tried to warn him about when he was in her mind?

"We have to get out of here!" he yelled. The tornado had already made fast work of more than half of the demons.

"We can't just _leave_!"

"Well, we can't stand around and wait for that thing to kill us, either," Cole replied to the eldest sister. But then something happened that made the decision for them. The tornado, as if picking up on their thoughts, suddenly split and hurled several long jets of air out to the remaining demons. It pulled them all into its pages simultaneously, like a huge monster licking its lips after a satisfying meal. The only people left were the three sisters and Cole, who still had his hand held firmly on Phoebe's arm. A deadly and eerie silence came over the cave and the Book floated back down to the podium of rocks it had previously been resting on. Like an undisturbed child.

And with it, Phoebe suddenly sucked in a huge, long breath of air, like she had been under water longer than was safe. Piper jumped and Cole's hand dropped reluctantly to his side.

"What happened?" Phoebe choked. "The demons – where did they go?"

"You tell us."

Piper's voice was cold. Phoebe wheeled around and the joy that entered her eyes at the sight of her family was overwhelming. Any doubt in Piper or Paige's minds that this was their sister were shattered when she embraced them both in a warm hug.

"You have no idea how I pleased I am to see you guys," she sighed, fighting back the tears. She felt her sisters hug her back. Only Cole was left to the side, hands in his pockets and an awkward feeling in his stomach.

The sisters pulled back and gazes at each other for a minute or two.

"What happened?" Piper questioned eventually.

"Do you want the cut version, or the long and boring one?" Phoebe laughed. Piper raised an eyebrow; she doubted very much whether anything about her story would be boring.

"We need to get back to the house," Cole interrupted gravely, averting all their eyes. He still wasn't sure how Phoebe – the real Phoebe – felt towards their previous meeting. He didn't even know how _he_ felt. But surprisingly, she agreed.

"Cole's right. It's much too dangerous down here."

She gave him a warm look, but he pretended not to notice. She frowned.

Paige didn't need telling twice. In one swift movement she picked up the Book of Shadows, noting happily that it appeared not to be evil anymore, and returned them all to the manor via a complicated orb. Cole had to hand it to her, as they arrived in the living room: she was a fine whitelighter.

"I'll go put this back where it belongs," Paige said, clutching the Book of Shadows defensively to her chest. She trotted up the stairs. Phoebe collapsed heavily in to the sofa whilst Piper perched on the arm of the armchair in the corner by the window. Cole remained standing.

"What a day," Phoebe breathed up to ceiling, her eyes closed.

"Yeah," Piper agreed, smiling. "Fancy the same tomorrow?"

Phoebe giggled in response. Cole trembled slightly, though nobody noticed; that laugh of hers could always make him weak at the knees.

"So, what _did_ happen?" Piper asked after a while, her voice more serious.

"Yeah, Pheebs, we all want to know," added Paige, bounding down the stairs. She sat in the armchair Piper was at, though leant forwards with her elbows on her knees.

"I'm not really sure," Phoebe replied honestly. "One minute, I was thinking about how ganged up on I felt and how much I wanted to be left alone, and the next thing I know I'm shouting and screaming as if it were the only thing I knew how to do. It was as if everything bad I had ever thought or felt suddenly ganged up on me at once, y'know?"

Cole knew. Only too well. But he kept silent.

"It was almost as if I were dreaming," Phoebe continued, "like I was someone else but in my own head. All I wanted to do was get out of there. Here. The manor. And the next thing I know..."

She faltered at this and glanced to Cole. Rather than look away, as his instincts told him to, he obeyed the voice in his head and kept eye contact. Phoebe smiled momentarily, but it faded quickly.

"Then... what?" Paige asked, her eyes shining. Phoebe sighed lightly before going on, but did not take her eyes off Cole.

"The next thing I know, I wake up in the Underworld with nothing but a demon called Mack for company."

Cole released the breath he had been holding and Phoebe looked away to her sisters. A small part in him had wondered if she was going to bring up how he had tried to save her, how she had begged him for help. But it supposed it wasn't important. It didn't matter. _He_ didn't matter. The bitter thoughts stung his mind more than he liked it to, so he concentrated on what Phoebe was saying, if only as a distraction.

She explained how Mack had told her of his plan to make her evil. It was long and time consuming to explain to them, but she had to. The threat was still out there, after all. By the end of the entire discussion, each of them piecing together the little snippets they had learned, this is what they came up with.

Mackenzie had blackmailed someone – and Elder, according to Cole – to release Cole from limbo and back in to the living world. His memory had been wiped, which the sisters had restored, and he had lost his powers, which ironically enough had been returned to him, so it speak, in the form of whitelighter powers. This had shocked Phoebe, and she only really believed it when he orbed from one end of the room to the other. Later, she could easily recognise the change in him, for was completely different in the way he held himself.

Cole being brought back to the world had apparently instigated an entire shift in the cosmic balance. That was why Phoebe had been more susceptible to turning evil; the balance was trying to restore itself. Coupled with the magic that Mack had been working on Phoebe – dream control, added doubts, et cetera – it was only a matter of time before she gave in to a darkness that each of them had. It was the hidden temptation to give up and become evil, and it was always there. For the most part, the sisters were completely oblivious to it, as resisting it was easy to do when you were used to it. But just occasionally, they would give in to it and be completely succumbed by its powers. All of them, in the past, had.

Phoebe then did some more explaining, of her plan to bind the demons to create an unstoppable killing force. As it turned out, Cole had saved Phoebe in her mind just in time, for when she awoke from her daze and became herself in her body again, she had been able to change the spell she was chanting and banish the demons away; it was then that Piper, Paige and Cole had found her in the Underworld.

"Something doesn't add up," Paige said at last. "This Elder. I mean... he couldn't have been able to take Cole out of limbo that easily. Not on his own. It would take a massive amount of power to do that."

At this, Cole coughed loudly.

"I believe I can answer that," he said, finally sitting in the second armchair. All the while, he had been careful not to look at Phoebe. "I think it comes down to me," he continued guiltily. "About what I did for Phoebe in the void. I helped Drake become human. I helped Piper find her love for Leo. But... all I wanted to do was help you, Phoebe."

His voice was soft and as she looked at him, he added quietly, "That's all I've ever wanted to do."

"I'd hardly call sending thorn demons after me 'help'," Piper snorted. But, despite herself, she could see that he had meant well.

"What does this have to do with the Elder?" asked Paige.

"I was getting to that, before I was interrupted." Cole shot Piper a look, which she ignored. "I was banished there for eternity for what I had done to you guys. It was punishment of the worst kind, _for_ the worst kind. I had to sit back and watch your lives continue while mine was defeated. It was whilst I was in the void that I learned how badly I hut you." He was talking to Phoebe again. "I saw how I had made you suffer, the fear and pain I put you through. I learned what you had been trying to teach me, that we were not meant to be. But I still wanted to help. Yet, neither could I tell you nor comfort you when you woke in the night crying over a broken heart."

Phoebe's cheeks were tinged with two streaks of coloured embarrassment. She swallowed down a lump in her throat, and Cole had to remind himself that the time of pouring his heart out of Phoebe had passed, years ago, and that he didn't have the right to talk to her like that anymore. He cleared his throat, as if to cough down all of his thoughts.

"You get the idea," he continued, bravely stealing a glance at the other two sisters. Paige was watching Phoebe with sorrow in her eyes, but Piper's were watching him like a hawk. "It restored the balance. My being sent there was to balance out all the terrible things I'd done. And so it went on for at least a year, maybe two. But when I offered my help to Piper and changed destiny, – I wasn't supposed to help her like I did, and she was supposed to die – when I saved a 'Charmed One', the scales were tipped again. There was a weakness in the balance, which meant that less power could be used to tip it back again. Mack, no doubt, sensed this, and used it to his advantage. But the bottom line is that if I had now come back here, back in to your life Phoebe, then you would not have turned to evil. You wouldn't have had the last push to do so."

He finished, looking at Phoebe sadly. She knew it was true; she had felt it on his return.

"So now what?" Piper asked, getting up. "What about the balance? It must still be thrown off: Phoebe's not evil anymore."

Cole shrugged and looked to the floor. He had told them what he knew, and they could make of it whatever they liked.

"I suppose the only way to be sure," Phoebe said, sitting up, "is to ask the Elders. They're the forces of Good, they have to know."

"But it was an Elder who took Cole out of limbo in the first place," Piper sighed. "How do we know it wasn't a group effort?"

"Unlikely," Cole answered. "They may be pompous bags, but not even the Elders would be stupid enough to do something like that. I'm pretty sure the Elder was working alone."

There was silence as each of them began to think of their own, uncertain answers.

"What about the Angel of Destiny?" Paige piped up. All eyes swung to her. "If it's destiny that's been messed up, surely he's the best person to ask?"

"You can't simply 'summon' an Angel of destiny," Cole half mocked. "They're beyond simple magic like that. And there's more than one Angel, just as there's more than one whitelighter."

He had no idea where that knowledge had burst from; he supposed that being a whitelighter offered more than just powers.

"Thank you, mister fountain-of-knowledge," Paige muttered sarcastically. "Got any better ideas?"

Cole suddenly started and stood up. His eyes became slightly glazed, as though he was seeing something that wasn't quite there.

"I have to go," he said abruptly.

"Go?" Piper asked, crossing her arms. "Where?"

"Leo wants to see me."

With that, he orbed out, leaving a trail of blue lights to follow him. Phoebe jumped.

"You know, I'm never going to get used to him doing that," she said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cole was back just minutes later with, to Piper's relief, Leo at his side. She smiled, then grinned, then threw her arms around her husband's neck, letting her fingers tickle his shoulder blades. He bent his head down, kissed her softly on the lips, the squeezed her tight.

"You know I wasn't in any real danger," he murmured softly. Piper pulled back from him slightly, resting her hands just below his jaw line.

"No more than usual anyway," she replied silkily. Then, she stepped back all together, though she dropped her hand to his side and linked their fingers.

"Good to have you back Leo," greeted Paige warmly, a smile rising inside her. It was still strange to think that they had won. Again.

"Yeah," Phoebe said coyly, getting up from the sofa and holding her arms out in an apologetic hug. "Sorry I made you evil."

Her voice was innocent, like a child's, but Leo knew she meant it nonetheless and soon they were all laughing and joking together again; it felt good to have the family back.

Cole had slunk off to the kitchen. Absently, he had brewed some coffee, though he didn't really want any. He didn't know what he _did_ want, either. There had been little time to think about what was going on, to sit down and try and understand how he felt. Being a whitelighter, being back, himself, Phoebe being evil, Phoebe being good... He reached up to the cupboard for a mug. Everything had been acted on impulse and instinct; there had been no time to consider the consequences of their actions and it was pure luck that had stopped any of them from getting killed when they had rescued Phoebe. The plans had worked, of course. But one day, what if they didn't?

Cole shook his head with irritation as he decanted the coffee from the machine into the mug. He was scolding himself for the whitelighter thoughts, but amused at how it was so unlike is his past character. And how well it seemed to fit.

He leant against the counter and took a small sip of his black coffee, enjoying the spicy flavours on his tongue. This was strange: helping himself to the sisters' coffee in the aftermath of one of the most bizarre days of his life. But it felt strangely natural and familiar; he missed it.

Cole was half way down his mug, sipping contentedly at its contents and letting thoughts meander around his head, when someone else joined him. His eyes hovered to the familiar form of Phoebe in the doorframe, before falling back to their regular position on the floor.

"Can't even look at me now, can you?" she commented, though her voice was not without warmth. Cole smiled into his mug, but was quick to hide it. He said nothing.

"They're all talking about going to bed," Phoebe continued, walking forwards, her shoes tapping on the tile floor. "Probably think it's best to approach things tomorrow."

Tomorrow... it would arrive after a good night's sleep, probably best had in his own little dingy flat. There was nothing to do about anything tonight, after all. And it was nice to be free to do as he wished. But he still said nothing.

"What do _you_ think?" Phoebe asked, putting the breakfast counter between her and Cole. She wanted to run away and hide in the comforts of her room. She wanted to pretend that he didn't exist, that he was just a bad nightmare that wouldn't go away. But part of her needed this time alone with Cole. Besides, if her time when she was evil had taught her anything, it was that she couldn't hide her feelings away for long. Not in this family, at least.

Cole swallowed his mouthful of coffee.

"I think they're probably right, and that we can sort out everything tomorrow. It's been a long day, and I for one will be pleased to get back to my bed and sleep on it."

"About what to do next, you mean?"

Cole nodded.

"And what about the rest?"

"The rest?" he asked, putting his coffee mug down on the surface.

"This. You. Me." Phoebe refrained from adding 'us' to the end of her explanation; there wasn't an 'us', after all. Not any more. But Cole was clever, and knew her well, and as their eyes met, he knew the word she wasn't saying. He had been thinking about it himself.

"I think it's a dream," he admitted, nearly laughing. "That any moment I'm going to wake up and still be trapped without yo– er..." he faltered, having caught himself just in time. "...Without this freedom. I think it's all too crazy to be real."

Cole didn't know why he hadn't lied. It would make things so much easier to pretend as if nothing mattered. But it did, and it was Phoebe. How could he lie about that?

"It's real all right, Cole," she replied, her voice sterner than she mean it to be. She crossed her arms. But then, softly, she added, "Though maybe it's not; you've no idea how often I've dreamed this."

He raised an eyebrow. If her sleep talking was anything to go by, he feared he might know _exactly_ how often she dreamed about it. But he wasn't going to admit to watching her sleep. It wasn't often that he did; just when he felt that need to be around her. The same need he was feeling now...

"I wanted to... thank you."

"What for?" Cole queried. Phoebe looked to the floor.

"For everything. Just... everything."

Cole understood, and smiled to her with a look that told her so. And that she was welcome. And that he'd do it all over again, just to see that glorious smile light up her face.

Silence grew between the two again as each wondered what to say; was there even anything _to_ say? So much had happened in such a short space of time, so many emotions and feelings, so many unwanted memories, so many wounds re-opened. It was almost too much to bear. And yet, here they were. Together, again. Phoebe, recently returned from the brink of evil, and Cole, the one who'd brought her back. It was usually the other way around. Damn it, he couldn't hide it. He was proud.

"This is really awkward," Cole offered, smiling, trying to make a light-hearted joke. "Kind of makes you wish for the good old days."

Phoebe let out a small, single laugh, and her smile did not fade afterwards.

"Yeah. A lot's come out about all of us in the last twenty-four hours."

"Do you regret it?"

Phoebe considered Cole's question. Being evil was hardly something she wanted to repeat, but she had learned things about herself that he wouldn't otherwise have known. She could at least be honest with him; he deserved that.

"No."

"Me neither," he replied, his eyes shining. Then, after a pause, "And I'm not just talking about today."

She smiled at him, but it was the sort of smile a mother gives their child when they're not really paying attention.

"I wish I could change – "

"Don't," Phoebe interrupted sharply, her eyes melancholy. "Don't wish for things. Especially not in this house." Then, as if to explain her outburst, "They might come true. Mine did."

"You wished for something?" Cole asked, his body and curiosity stirring.

"Yes. But not for a long time now."

Even so, he was still intrigued. He leaned forward, inquisitiveness gleaming in his eye.

"What did you wish for?"

Her eyes darted nervously up to his. She reminded him of a timid woodland dear. But her answer was nevertheless strong.

"You."

Her answer swept him off his feet, and she knew it would. Still, it had been long ago, when she had been convinced that he was the only man that could numb the ache in her heart. She was less foolish now. Or so she told herself.

"Well, I'm here now," Cole replied, his voice soft but steady. He edged around the counter until he was standing in front of her, looking down in to her soft, beautiful eyes. God, those eyes. Even that look was enough to make his heart race and his knees go weak. She was so close to him now, closer than they had been in years, that the temptation to sweep her into his arms and claim her as his own burned brighter and stronger than the sun. But he knew he wouldn't.

Phoebe could see the passion blazing in his eyes. She looked up in to his strong, handsome face, his features well defined, as if someone had carved him out of stone. She let out a breath. How could she have let him grow this close to her so quickly? She knew what she was feeling was the remnants of the love she had felt a long time ago, a love she had been trying to re-capture and re-tame almost since his vanquish nearly two years ago. But, she didn't love him. She couldn't. There was just too much.

She wanted to tell him what she was thinking, that they were being like two stupid teenagers on a first date. But as she opened her mouth to speak, his forefinger grazed her lips to silence her. Like a willing slave, she obeyed.

It was only to help her, he told himself. It was to stop her needlessly explaining what he already knew, to spare her the pain of finding words that wouldn't express the feelings very well. It was partly true. But he wasn't going to admit that seeing her again, like this, had driven him as wild as it used to when they had first met. He wasn't going to admit that he desperately wanted to feel his skin on hers. And as he looked at her, his eyes searching hers, he knew that she was fighting the same feelings. His head swam with confused passion for the woman he used to love. He could take her in his arms and she wouldn't object. He could carry her up to her bedroom and lay her down, and she would want it just as much as he did. He could kiss her lips, face and neck and smother in the kisses she deserved, tearing away their clothes to bear their souls to each other as they became one, happily and passionately, just like they used to; all those years ago.

Cole shivered with those thoughts, his head and his heart pounding. His vision nearly clouded and he could practically feel the blood running through his veins. He looked at her, hard, and the hand on her lips dropped carefully to her shoulder. She quivered, but didn't move away. He began to bend his head towards hers, and could feel her curling in towards him; but then he stepped back against the counter, releasing her, and cast his eyes elsewhere.

Phoebe hovered briefly where he'd left her, still feeling the warmth of his hand through her blouse even though it had moved. She let out a shuddered breath. Nothing had happened, and she was pleased for his strength to walk away. He had been feeling what she was feeling, right down to the last heartbeat, and she was pleased by the fact that Cole had given her exactly what she had needed – the time to think and heal and forget about their past. It couldn't have been easy, backing off in the way he had. _She _wouldn't have been able to. But at least he understood as much as her, and she was thankful for that. She wouldn't forget it.

Phoebe smiled weakly, attempting to reveal her thanks in a simple look. Then she turned and left the kitchen.

Cole let out a long, loud breath. There was still chemistry between them, no doubt about that. But, Cole thought sadly, it was just as well they could no longer act on their desires. Whatever satisfaction, physical or emotional, Cole would have gained from making love to Phoebe, he knew that it would have been the same for both of them in the end: simple closure. Two years of self-questioning and self-doubt was enough to make anyone want that.

They would have been magnificent, like two dancers reunited for a final show, gracing themselves with the pleasure of tending to each other's wounds. But it would be no more than reliving history, as if the ghosts of their old selves would have possessed them. They were different people now. They couldn't make each other tick as they once could, for the moment had long past. Their bodies, souls and minds were just not made for one another's anymore.

He had to believe it, Cole told himself as he downed the last of his coffee. A mistake; it tasted like seaweed in pond water.

Cole shrugged and started out of the kitchen, and knew that he was heading for home. He had to believe he and Phoebe weren't compatible. It was easy enough to dig up an old memory and play it out in their minds; hell, even in real life if it came to that. But there would not be a future for either of them there: not in the past. It would only be a desperate attempt to reclaim a little of what they had lost.

Cole vowed he would never again put himself in that position with Phoebe. He could tell that it was not what she had wanted – not in the long run. It wasn't good for either of them. But if it happened again, no matter how much fighting against his own emotions he would do, no matter how much he would try to stop it, he would not be able to resist her for a second time. He just wasn't strong enough.


End file.
